Apple’s Camera-Equipped Glasses Will Come Later Than Promised: New Deadline Is End of 2027

The first Apple smart glasses won’t hit the market until the second half of 2027 at the earliest. The company has revised its internal timeline, and the device — seen as a mass-market accessory for iPhone owners — is now delayed by at least a few quarters compared to earlier estimates.

Insider info describes the product under the codename N50, and this isn’t a mixed reality headset like Vision Pro, but rather glasses in the traditional sense — with transparent lenses, a dark frame, and a bunch of built-in electronics: cameras, speakers, microphones. No AR display is planned for the first-gen model. Functionally, the gadget is aimed at everyday scenarios: capturing a quick video or photo, answering a call, listening to music or podcasts, or summoning Siri. Deep integration with the Apple ecosystem is expected, especially with the iPhone and AirPods. Later on, with the release of an updated Siri and Apple Intelligence features, the voice assistant is supposed to become the central way you interact with the glasses.

Earlier rumors floated more optimistic timelines: an announcement by the end of 2026 and a sales start in early 2027. Now the realistic scenario looks like mass availability shifting closer to 2028. The key factor is clearly tied to the state of Siri and Apple Intelligence at launch. Competitors are already linking their glasses to cloud-based AI assistants with object recognition capabilities. If Siri doesn’t get comparable features, the device risks shipping with a limited set of use cases — which would be uncharacteristic for Apple, as they prefer to roll out products with clear user value. Internally, the company is also discussing the glasses’ potential as a health device. Hypothetically, AR technology in future versions could correct vision or compensate for visual impairments, but at this stage, it’s just conceptual talk, not a product roadmap.

The estimated retail price is between $200 and $500. For comparison, the Vision Pro launched in the US at $3,499 and faced predictably low demand. Apple seems to have learned from that, and now they’re aiming not at a niche enthusiast segment, but at the same mass market where the Apple Watch and AirPods already play.

Strategically, launching smart glasses in 2027 fits into Apple’s broader push into wearables. The company has already shown it can create mass accessory categories from scratch and turn them into standalone businesses. The AR and smart glasses market, according to Grand View Research, is expected to keep seeing double-digit growth through the end of the decade, and by then competition will be even tighter. The launch window isn’t closed yet, but a lot will depend on the final price and how seamlessly the glasses fit into the everyday life of an average user.

Do you see smart glasses as a potentially useful accessory, or does the format still seem unnecessary? Share your thoughts in the comments.