Apple is banking on privacy to set its smart glasses apart

According to Mark Gurman, Apple is planning to reveal its first smart glasses at WWDC next June, with an expectation that they’ll launch by the end of 2027. Part of the hold-up may be around the company’s efforts to get its privacy features and messaging in order. Smart glasses in general, and Meta’s in particular, have ignited controversy over their ability to stealthily capture photos and videos. As Gurman points out:

The company has spent more than a decade making privacy one of its defining product messages. Simply entering the same category as Meta risks undermining that reputation, regardless of how Apple’s approach differs.

Apple is likely to rely on on-device processing and skip out on more controversial features like facial recognition or an always-on-recording similar to Meta’s “super sensing.” Gurman also believes Apple will avoid using customer recordings to train AI models.

Other hardware and software privacy features are also reportedly in the works. It’s also possible that Apple could eventually release a version of its smart glasses without a camera, or with a camera that is exclusively for sensing and won’t be able to capture video or photos at all, similar to what is rumored for Apple’s AI-enabled AirPods.