Apple to debut smart glasses in 2027 with focus on privacy: report

Apple is planning to introduce its own smart glasses next year, according to Bloomberg.

Per the site’s ever-reliable Apple insider Mark Gurman, the tech giant had once planned to debut the wearable, codenamed N50, sometime this year but has delayed it to 2027. The reason for this, Gurman says, is because Apple is still figuring out how the wearable will handle privacy, which is its “number one” priority. In particular, Gurman notes that Apple has been observing all of the scrutiny that Meta, one of the leading smart glasses makers, has been facing with privacy, including a recent lawsuit over its glasses allegedly spying on people.

As a result, Apple is reportedly developing various new privacy-oriented hardware and software tools that aren’t currently available in its product lineup for N50. This includes some features introduced by Meta, like the ability to disable recording if the corresponding light appears to have been tampered with. Apple is also said to be considering different versions of N50, including one that would include a camera for some features but lack the ability to take photos or videos, and another that may forgo a shooter entirely.

There’s a lot at stake here for Apple should it enter the smart glasses market. While Meta has long been criticized over various privacy concerns, Apple has always prided itself for its careful handling of consumer data. Perhaps most famously, the company previously refused to unlock the iPhone for the FBI, noting that it was a “civil liberties” issue. (Even though the company’s recent kowtowing to Trump runs counter to that.) Therefore, it makes sense that Apple is taking its time with its smart glasses debut.

According to Gurman, the company is planning to unveil N50 at WWDC 2027 next June ahead of a release towards the end of the year. As a result, it’ll likely be a while before we hear anything official.