Apple Glasses could be the next Apple Watch and send shockwaves through the eyewear industry — here's how it could disrupt a $200 billion market

It's no secret that Apple is investing heavily in smart glasses, with rumors suggesting we'll see AI-powered spectacles in the near future and augmented-reality eyewear a little further out. But have you ever wondered what Apple hopes to accomplish with this push into a whole new segment of wearable tech?

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has a low-down on Apple's plans for smart glasses, claiming that things could follow a similar path to the Apple Watch. Back in 2015, smartwatches were still pretty niche products with minimal mainstream appeal compared to traditional wristwear — much like smart glasses are now.

Apple wants to disrupt the eyewear industry

Tim Cook with Apple Glass render — (Image credit: Martin Hajek/ iDrop News/ Shutterstock/ Tom’s Guide)

In the same way that a huge drop in watch sales has been attributed to the Apple Watch release, Apple is apparently aiming to do something similar with the glasses industry. The idea is apparently to compete with well-known eyewear brands like RayBan and Warby Parker by leveraging everything that makes Apple products so popular in the first place.

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This means relying on the strength of the Apple brand, industrial design and the fact that these glasses will support iPhone integration. It's currently unclear what they might offer that you can't get with a rival like Samsung's Intelligent Eyewear. But if the way Apple treats third-party smartwatches compared to the Apple Watch is anything to go by, I'm sure there will be plenty of ecosystem lock-in features only available for the Apple Glasses.

And while I personally can't see the appeal of smart glasses, due to the fact that I don't need regular glasses, there are many who do. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that around 2.2 billion people around the world currently have some kind of vision impairment. That's a big market that reportedly brings in around $200 billion each year. It makes complete sense that Apple would want a slice of that.

It all depends on whether the Apple logo will help convince people to wear mini-computers on their faces all day. More importantly, what Apple's stance on Android phones will be, considering how many more Android phones are sold globally compared to iPhones.

What to expect from Apple Glasses

Apple Glasses render — (Image credit: Martin Hajek/iDropnews))

According to Gurman's report, we can expect Apple's first smart glasses to arrive sometime in late 2027. However, he doesn't believe Apple's AR glasses will arrive before the end of the decade — with a slimmed-down (and cheaper) Apple Vision headset arriving in the interim. Next year's glasses will likely be a camera and AI combo, without any kind of eye-screen.

Gurman also claims that the Apple Glasses "will use design elements to stand out." That includes oval-shaped cameras, different color options and a choice of frame styles. It's also expected that the glasses will follow the same route as the Apple Watch, and morph into a health device rather than just another way to interact with your phone.

However, he notes that glasses wearers are a much broader demographic, especially in the $200-$500 segment Apple is apparently targeting. That said, Gurman believes that luxury eyewear brands, which charge thousands of dollars a pair, are unlikely to be affected.

Much like how Apple's $10k golden Apple Watches never really made an impact on the luxury watch market (Rolex is still going strong), Gurman believes that the ultra-premium eyewear market will still attract customers. But for most people used to paying out for glasses, adding some tech into the mix may seem fairly appealing.

It's just a shame we'll have to wait until next year for it to happen. But sadly, that seems to be the way with new Apple products, waits and delays are becoming the norm.

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