Apple's AI smart glasses strategy revealed: How the iPhone maker plans to outshine Meta's Ray-Bans

Meta is already miles ahead of the competition when it comes to the best smart glasses, but Apple is coming for its crown with a pair of display-less smart glasses to directly rival Meta's Ray-Bans, according to a new report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, he said the product is on track to hit store shelves in 2027 following a late 2026/early 2027 debut.

To stand out from competitors, Apple's leaning into its industry-leading design taste with a "higher-end build" that uses acetate, a more a “durable” and “luxurious” material than plastic, for the main body.

"As with AirPods and the Apple Watch, the goal is to create a design that is instantly recognizable. Apple refers to this as the 'icon' internally," Gurman said.

The smart glasses will come in at least four different styles in a range of finishes and colors, according to employees working on the project that spoke with Bloomberg. Gurman said the four designs currently in testing are:

• A large rectangular frame, reminiscent of Ray-Ban Wayfarers
• A slimmer rectangular design, similar to the glasses worn by Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook
• Larger oval or circular frames
• A smaller, more refined oval or circular option

As for finishes, potential color options include black, ocean blue, and light brown. The camera will differ slightly from Meta's smart glasses as well, with Apple opting for a vertically-oriented oval lenses with surrounding indicator lights.

Keep in mind, there's no built-in display, so these aren't augmented reality glasses like the 2nd-gen Ray-Ban Meta or the RayNeo Air 4 Pro. Rather, Apple's cooking up wearable spectacles with integrated cameras, microphones, and sensors to do things like capture photo and video, handle phone calls, relay notifications, and enable hands-free interactions with AI features like upgraded Siri and visual intelligence capabilities. Think of it as a cross between the Apple Watch and AirPods in terms of functionality.

It's part of the iPhone maker's larger three-pronged AI wearable strategy that also includes new AirPods and a camera-equipped pendent. Each is designed to work together to "leverage computer vision to interpret the user’s surroundings and feed contextual awareness into Siri and Apple Intelligence" for features like turn-by-turn directions and visual reminders, according to Bloomberg.

Apple is still believed to be working on advanced augmented reality glasses with integrated displays, but it's still several years away, Gurman said. In the meantime, Apple's expected to launch a slew of AI-centric devices in the coming years, including the aforementioned wearable pendant and a smart home display.

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