Report: Apple’s First Smart Glasses Slip to Late 2027, Cheaper Vision Headset Years Away
Apple‘s answer to Ray-Ban Meta may be further off than expected. The company’s first smart glasses are now aimed at a launch in late 2027, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, rather than the unveiling at the end of this year that he had previously reported.
Gurman shared the new timeline in his weekly Power On newsletter on Sunday, May 31. The same report says a lighter and cheaper successor to Vision Pro is unlikely before late 2028 and could slip into 2029. Apple has not announced either product and has not commented on the report.
The new glasses timeline
According to 9to5Mac’s summary of the newsletter, Apple had been planning to show the glasses, code-named N50, at the end of 2026 and begin shipping them in early 2027. Gurman now reports that the goal is a launch at the end of 2027.
The reason, as Gurman describes it, is a mix of ordinary development delays and a specific concern about software. He reports that Apple’s visual AI features, which would let the glasses understand what the wearer is looking at, may not be ready by the end of this year, and that the company does not want to release a product that falls short. He also reports that Apple wants more time to address the large number of people who need prescription lenses or prefer sunglasses and fashion frames.
Gurman reports that a revamped Siri remains on track to arrive before the end of 2026, separately from the glasses.
Reported features
The glasses Gurman describes are closer to Ray-Ban Meta than to a full augmented reality device. MacRumors, relaying the report, says they would include cameras for photos and video, along with speakers and microphones for music, phone calls and notifications read aloud by Siri. Turn-by-turn walking directions are also possible.
Notably, Gurman reports that the first model will not have a display in the lens, and that in-lens augmented reality is likely several years away. The glasses would serve mainly as a way to bring Apple Intelligence, Siri and Visual Intelligence out of the iPhone and onto the face.
Apple is reportedly putting a lot of weight on design. According to MacRumors, the company is testing at least four plastic frame styles: a large rectangular frame similar to Ray-Ban Wayfarers, a slimmer rectangular frame, and larger and smaller oval or round options. Colors under consideration reportedly include black, ocean blue and light brown, and the camera housings are said to be oval-shaped to give the glasses a distinctive look. MacRumors adds that the glasses would compete with products in the $200 to $500 range in the US, though Apple’s own price has not been reported.
Gurman also reports that Apple sees longer-term potential for the glasses as a health device, and eventually for augmented reality features that could help people see better. None of that is expected in the first version.
What happens to Vision Pro
The report has less encouraging news for Apple’s headset line. Gurman says a slimmer, lighter successor to the $3,499 Vision Pro, often referred to as Vision Air, is not likely to launch before late 2028 and could arrive in 2029.
According to 9to5Mac, Gurman describes the headset category as effectively on hold until Apple can solve the design and pricing problems that held back the first Vision Pro. Earlier reporting last October had suggested work on a lighter model had been largely shelved. Gurman now reports that Apple has put resources back into it, but on a longer timeline.
That leaves the current Vision Pro, updated last year with the M5 chip, as Apple’s only headset for the foreseeable future.
Apple versus Meta and Google in glasses
If the report is accurate, Apple will be arriving in the glasses market well after its main rivals. Meta’s Ray-Ban and Oakley glasses have been on sale for years, and EssilorLuxottica said in February that it sold more than 7 million Meta glasses in 2025. Meta also sells display glasses and has set its Connect conference for September, where Mark Zuckerberg has hinted at more glasses news.
Google, working with Samsung, said at I/O on May 19 that its first Gemini-powered audio glasses, designed with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, will launch later this fall, with display glasses to follow. Samsung is also reportedly planning to show its own glasses at its Unpacked event in July.
A late 2027 launch would give those companies more than a year of extra time in the market. Apple has often entered categories late and relied on design and ecosystem integration to catch up, as it did with smartwatches. Gurman’s reporting suggests it plans the same approach here, holding the glasses until the AI features work well rather than racing to match competitors.
As with all reports about unannounced Apple products, plans can change. Apple has not confirmed that it is building glasses at all, and the timeline described by Bloomberg could shift again before any product is shown.
Related coverage on Virtual Reality Times
- Apple Reportedly Cuts Vision Pro Gaming and Immersive Video Teams in Reorganization
- Google and Samsung Show Gemini Smart Glasses at I/O, With Audio Models Due This Fall
- Controlling the Apple Vision Pro Headset With Eyes and Hands
- Apple to Open Several Vision Pro Developer Labs in Multiple Cities To Test Headset
- Apple Vision Pro Headset Details: Specs, Release Date, Price, and More
Leave a Reply