Apple Delays Smart Glasses Launch to 2027, Internal Roadmap Uncertain

Previously, the product was expected to preview this year and go on sale next year, but the pace has clearly slowed.

Apple is weighing three technical approaches internally. The first option completely removes the camera, leaving the device with only voice interaction, a first-person perspective audio AI assistant, and music playback, but it would lose the ability to visually perceive the surrounding physical world. The second option restricts camera permissions to AI visual analysis only, prohibiting users from taking photos or videos; the images are processed briefly on the local chip and immediately discarded. The third option is similar to Meta Ray-Ban, supporting both recording and AI functions.

Privacy has become a core challenge for smart glasses. In the Waseda University entrance exam in Japan, a candidate used smart glasses to secretly photograph the test paper and send it in real time to an external AI for answers. During this year's college entrance exam (Gaokao), education authorities in Guangdong, Shanghai, and Hubei required all candidates wearing glasses to remove them under surveillance for special inspection. In July, Meta updated the protection mechanism for its Ray-Ban smart glasses, forcing the camera to shut down if the recording indicator is damaged or tampered with. Meta's recently released Muse Image AI tool sparked protests for extracting images from public Instagram accounts to generate content without permission, leading to its emergency removal. In March, a California court accepted a class-action lawsuit alleging that Meta sent users' home videos to a data labeling factory in Kenya for manual review.

However, technical architecture can only address where data goes, not why the lens captures strangers. For people facing the wearer, there is no essential difference between data stored on a local chip or a server; as long as the lens is pointed at them, collection has already occurred.

Globally, restrictions and bans on smart glasses are spreading. From special checks at Gaokao security gates, to hospitals, gyms, and even cruise ship children's areas, society is using physical barriers to counter unobtrusive intrusion. For smart glasses to move from geek toys to mainstream daily life, they need to solve the problem of public trust.