Apple's first smart glasses may debut at WWDC 2027

Apple's first smart glasses are codenamed N50, and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says the project's biggest hurdle is privacy as the company works toward a WWDC 2027 debut and a release by the end of that year. He says the schedule has slipped from Apple's earlier target of a 2026 announcement and an early-2027 launch.

According to Gurman, the delay came as Apple kept working on features and rules meant to reduce privacy concerns. That issue appears to be central to the project, with the company weighing several directions for the glasses before deciding on the final version.

Mark Gurman, Bloomberg journalist, says teams developing glasses within Apple's Vision hardware group and elsewhere in the company see privacy as priority No. 1.

One option would be smart glasses without a camera at all. Another would include cameras that can analyze the surroundings but would not allow photos or video recording. Gurman also wrote that Apple may disable recording if it detects that the camera-indicator light has been tampered with.

If the glasses do reach the market in their expected form, they are likely to offer access to Siri, music, calls, and all-day use without charging. The question now is whether Apple can balance those features with the privacy limits it seems determined to keep in place.

Previously, it was reported that Apple has postponed the redesign for the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4.

Can Apple make camera-equipped smart glasses appealing while keeping privacy concerns under control?