Apple's long-anticipated smart glasses will not arrive until late 2027, later than the company had previously planned. The product had been expected to be announced later in 2026 and begin shipping in early 2027. According to CNET, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman wrote in his Power On newsletter that the company has experienced "bumps" in development, pushing the timeline back by roughly a year.
The glasses are considered a major part of Apple's product roadmap. People close to outgoing CEO Tim Cook have told Gurman that Cook is a strong supporter of the project and considers it his top priority. John Ternus, who is set to take over as CEO from Cook in September, has been leading the product development team for the past two years and is described as the driving force behind the glasses.
Gurman has also reported on what the glasses may look like. In April, he wrote that Apple was testing several frame designs, including a large rectangular frame similar to Ray-Ban Wayfarers, a slimmer rectangular style, a larger oval or circular design, and a smaller oval or circular option. More recently, Gurman said the final product will include design elements such as "oval-shaped cameras, unique colors, and multiple frame styles" in an effort to stand out from competitors.
On the feature side, the glasses are expected to include cameras for capturing photos and videos, along with microphones and speakers for handling phone calls, listening to notifications, and playing music. They will also reportedly include a multimodal artificial intelligence system that could respond to user requests through Siri. Gurman has said that "over time, Apple believes the glasses could evolve into a health device and eventually incorporate augmented reality technologies capable of improving how people see."
The delay places Apple further behind in a market that has been growing fast. Research from Counterpoint Research released in March found that the smart glasses category grew 139% year-over-year in the second half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. Meta has dominated the space so far, but a range of competitors have been entering the market in 2026. Google and Samsung are among the companies expected to show off new glasses in the near term.
Apple did not respond to a request for comment. The company's WWDC event, where developers and observers had hoped for an update on the glasses, was scheduled to begin about a week after Gurman published his report.
