Apple has been working on AI-powered smart glasses for some time, both to compete against the Meta Ray-Bans and to provide a hardware platform for Siri and its Visual Intelligence features. Originally they were supposed to be announced later this year and debut early next year, but that has now been pushed back and will now be introduced by the end of 2027. Bloomberg.
On the flip side, a cheaper and lighter version of the Apple Vision Pro called the Vision Air could arrive in 2028, potentially 2029.
Apple smart glasses face a new delay
When we first heard about Apple’s pioneering efforts to release smart glasses around this time last year, the company was on track to announce a pair by the end of this year. Now, the timelines have shifted slightly and Apple will require an additional year each Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman:
Apple’s journey to becoming an eyewear giant has had its fair share of challenges. It originally planned to launch its smart glasses, codenamed N50, in late 2026 and ship by early 2027. I’m told the company is now aiming to have the glasses on sale late next year.
While Siri is still on track to debut by the end of this year, a bigger development concern is that Apple’s visual AI technology may not be up to par by the end of this year. Apple doesn’t want to take the risk of releasing an unpleasant product.
These glasses are being launched primarily as a hardware platform for Apple Intelligence, although the product feature set will expand over time:
The first Apple Glasses will use design elements to stand out, with oval-shaped cameras, unique colors and multiple frame styles. Over time, Apple believes the glasses could become a health device, eventually incorporating augmented reality technologies that could improve people’s vision.
Ultimately, Apple believes it has a huge opportunity in the eyewear space, potentially capturing the billions of people who depend on prescription glasses, casually wear sunglasses, or use glasses as a fashion accessory. So it makes sense that the company would want to take the extra time to fine-tune its product offering.
The Vision Air could debut in 2028-2029
Despite earlier stating that Vision Air is a development essentially shelved In favor of the aforementioned AI glasses, it sounds like Apple is putting some resources into its development again. According to Mark Gurman, a thinner and lighter version of Apple’s Vision Pro could debut in late 2028 or 2029:
Apple is also working on a thinner and lighter headset to complement the $3,499 Vision Pro, but I don’t expect that to go on sale until late 2028 or before 2029. Apple needs to fix the design and pricing issues that made the first Vision Pro a failure, and the category will remain on ice until then.
2029 sounds far away, but it’s also worth noting that the Vision Pro originally debuted at WWDC 2023 almost 3 years ago, so we’re about the same time away from the Vision Air as we are from the original Vision Pro. I’m not sure if this comparison is really helpful or just makes everyone old, but 2029 isn’t that far off anyway – and there’s still an optimistic case for late 2028.
It’s also worth noting that Gurman refers to the category as “on ice until then,” so we probably shouldn’t expect anything newer than the current-gen M5 Vision Pro until the Vision Air debuts in 2-3 years.
My favorite Apple accessory recommendations:
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