Apple's long-awaited smart glasses will not arrive as early as the company once hoped. Apple is now targeting a release in late 2027, pushed back from an earlier plan to announce the product later this year and begin shipping in early 2027.
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, writing in his Power On newsletter, Apple has hit development snags along the way. Gurman described the setbacks as "bumps" in development, without specifying exactly what technical problems the company is working through.
The glasses are considered a major part of Apple's product strategy going forward. People close to current CEO Tim Cook told Gurman that Cook is a strong backer of the project and sees it as his top priority. John Ternus, who will take over as CEO from Cook in September, has led the product development team on the glasses for two years and is described as the driving force behind the project.
Design details have started to emerge. Gurman reported that the glasses will feature "oval-shaped cameras, unique colors, and multiple frame styles" to set Apple apart from competitors already in the market. In April, Gurman also reported that Apple was testing several frame styles, including a large rectangular design similar to Ray-Ban Wayfarers, a slimmer rectangular option, and both larger and smaller oval or circular designs.
The expected feature set includes cameras for photos and video, microphones, and speakers capable of handling phone calls, playing music, and reading notifications. The glasses are also expected to include a multimodal AI that could respond to user requests through Siri.
Apple appears to have broader ambitions for the product beyond its initial launch. Gurman reported 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 smart glasses market is growing quickly even without Apple in it. Research from Counterpoint Research, released in March, found the category grew 139 percent year over year in the second half of 2025 compared with 2024. Apple did not respond to a request for comment.
