Apple's smart glasses, a top priority for outgoing CEO Tim Cook, have been delayed to late 2027 as the company prepares to challenge Meta and EssilorLuxottica in the $200 billion eyewear market.
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Apple delays smart glasses to late 2027, targets $200B eyewear market
Apple Inc.'s long-rumored smart glasses, regarded by company leadership as the top priority for outgoing Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook, have been delayed to late 2027 — pushing back the iPhone maker's entry into a $200 billion global eyewear market where Meta Platforms Inc. and EssilorLuxottica SA already compete.
"The launch is shaping up to be a pivotal moment for Apple's artificial intelligence strategy as it races to catch up with rivals," Mark Gurman, a Bloomberg News reporter covering Apple, wrote in his Power On newsletter on Sunday. The glasses, code-named N50, were previously expected to ship by early 2027 before encountering development delays.
Apple is designing the smart glasses with four frame styles — large rectangular, slim rectangular, large oval and small oval — along with unique colors and oval-shaped cameras, according to Gurman. The device will include cameras for capturing photos and video, microphones and speakers for calls and notifications, and a multimodal AI system powered by Siri with Apple Intelligence. Apple plans to target the $200 to $500 price segment, competing not just with Meta's Ray-Ban AI glasses but also with traditional eyewear from EssilorLuxottica's Ray-Ban and Oakley brands, Safilo Group's Tommy Hilfiger and Hugo Boss lines, and Warby Parker.
The delay gives Meta additional time to solidify its position in the smart glasses category. The second-generation Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses, introduced last year, already offer improved battery life and multimodal AI features. Counterpoint Research reported that the smart glasses market grew 139 percent year-over-year in the second half of 2025 compared with 2024, signaling early but rapid adoption. Apple is betting its brand strength, design pedigree and iPhone integration — including Apple Intelligence features — will drive upgrades from consumers replacing prescription eyewear, echoing the strategy that propelled the Apple Watch to dominate the smartwatch market after its 2015 launch.
John Ternus, who will succeed Cook as CEO in September, has led the product development team for the past two years and is described as the driving force behind the project, Gurman reported. 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 company is also working on a separate AR-equipped version of the glasses, though that product remains further out. For investors, the delay resets expectations for Apple's next major product category beyond the iPhone and Vision Pro, with the smart glasses representing a potential multi-billion-dollar revenue stream in a hardware market that ships hundreds of millions of units annually.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
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