Apple Smart Glasses Now Targeting WWDC 2027 Reveal With Privacy-First Camera Strategy — Bloomberg

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported on July 26 that Apple is now targeting WWDC 2027 next June to unveil its first pair of smart glasses, codenamed N50. The report reveals a dramatic pivot: privacy will be Apple's core pitch against Meta's camera-first approach — and Apple has gone so far as to prototype glasses without cameras entirely.

The Camera Debate Inside Apple

According to Bloomberg, Apple's engineering teams have built multiple prototypes exploring different camera strategies:

• No-camera prototype: Glasses that rely on microphones, speakers, and Apple Intelligence for AI features — no visual capture at all. This would make Apple's glasses the only major smart glasses without a camera.
• Camera-limited prototype: Glasses with cameras that feed visual data to AI tools but cannot record photos or video. The camera assists with object identification, text reading, and scene understanding, but nothing is saved or shared.
• Full-camera prototype: Similar to Meta Ray-Ban's approach, with photo and video recording capabilities but enhanced privacy indicators.

Privacy Features Beyond Current Apple Products

Apple is developing "a slew of new hardware and software-related privacy features" specifically for the glasses. The company will reportedly avoid facial recognition, continuous environmental analysis, and using customer recordings to train AI models. On-device processing will handle most AI tasks.

The glasses feature vertically oriented oval camera lenses surrounded by indicator lights — distinct from Meta's circular camera design — making it visually obvious when the camera is active.

Design and Materials

Apple's glasses will use acetate frames, the same premium material used by high-end eyewear brands like Oliver Peoples and Warby Parker. Multiple frame styles and colors will be available. The design is reportedly lightweight enough for all-day wear.

Timeline

The glasses were originally slated for a late-2026 reveal with early 2027 shipments. The new timeline pushes the unveiling to WWDC 2027 (June 2027) with consumer shipping by late 2027. Apple's engineering and marketing teams are working in parallel to refine both the product and the privacy messaging before putting cameras on faces at scale.

What This Means for Buyers

Apple's privacy-first approach is a direct counter to Meta's camera-centric strategy and Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Glasses with a 12MP camera. If you want smart glasses today, the Meta Ray-Ban ($379) and Even Realities G2 ($599, camera-free) are the best options. Apple's glasses are at least 16 months away. See our full analysis of what the privacy gambit means for buyers and compare all smart glasses in our smart glasses guide.