Skip to main content

Apple smart glasses are getting closer to becoming a reality, per report

Avatar for Michael Burkhardt  | Apr 27 2025 - 5:27 am PT
22 Comments
Apple Glasses concept

According to the latest edition of Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter, Apple is continuing to develop its own pair of smart glasses. The product, now codenamed N50, is going to infuse some of the companies AI developments into a pair of glasses that hopefully won’t break the bank.

It’s no secret that Apple’s true end goal is to develop industry-leading augmented reality glasses. However, we’re at least a few years from that being feasible for a consumer product.

In the meanwhile, Apple wants to create its own pair of smart glasses, similar to Meta’s glasses collaboration with Ray-Ban. Meta Ray-Bans have become fairly popular, and infuse all sorts of tech (not displays, however) into a not-too-bulky pair of glasses: including cameras, microphones, an AI assistant, and speakers for listening to audio.

Apple wants to follow a very similar approach, per Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman:

This device isn’t close to being ready yet, but the idea is to turn glasses into an Apple Intelligence device. The product will analyze the surrounding environment and feed information to the wearer, though it will stop well short of true augmented reality.

In the past, Gurman has mentioned that Apple may not want to allow the glasses to take photos due to privacy concerns, though that’s still undecided.

Gurman also once again mentioned that Apple is continuing to work on AirPods with cameras, which’ll also push its Visual Intelligence tech into new hardware.

Top comment by K Snow

Liked by 3 people

I’m genuinely excited for AR glasses, smart glasses on the other hand feel rather pointless and a half step that I don’t care to take.

I’ll wear glasses for full augmented reality, I’m not gonna wear them to attach AI to my face.

View all comments

Both of these products will likely launch around 2027, according to previous reporting.

What do you think about Apple developing a pair of smart glasses? Let us know in the comments.

My favorite Apple accessory recommendations:

Follow Michael: X/Twitter, Bluesky, Instagram

Add 9to5Mac as a preferred source on Google Add 9to5Mac as a preferred source on Google

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:

Comments

Guides

AAPL Company

AAPL Company

Breaking news from Cupertino. We’ll give you t…
Apple Intelligence

Apple Intelligence

Author

Avatar for Michael Burkhardt Michael Burkhardt

Michael is 9to5Mac’s Weekend Editor, keeping up with all of the latest Apple news on Saturday and Sunday. He got started in the world of Apple news during the pandemic, and it became a growing hobby. He’s also an indie iOS developer in his free time, and has published numerous apps over the years.

Michael Burkhardt's favorite gear

Anker 25K Compact Battery Bank

Featuring two built in cables, a built in display, multiple ports, a 25,000mAh capacity, and up to 100W of output - this is one of the best battery banks for recharging your entire Apple ecosystem on the go.

AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C)

AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C)

Despite a new version reportedly being around a corner, I still personally believe AirPods Pro 2 are a great deal. They're already equipped with USB-C, and continually gain new software features. With them consistently going on sale, it's a great purchase to make. Features like Adaptive Audio are incredible.