Apple aims for WWDC 2027 to launch smart glasses but is still deliberating on the camera feature.

      Apple is planning to introduce its first smart glasses at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2027, with an expected consumer release by the end of that year, as reported by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. However, the company's engineering and marketing teams are currently grappling with a crucial decision: whether to incorporate a camera into the glasses. The team, working on the device codenamed N50 within Apple’s Vision hardware division, prioritizes privacy concerns, according to Gurman.

      This cautious approach arises from the backlash that Meta faced over privacy issues. While Meta has sold over seven million pairs of its Ray-Ban smart glasses, the built-in camera has raised significant privacy concerns, including incidents of women being secretly recorded in public and reports from Kenyan data workers who were asked to review private footage captured by the glasses. Apple executives are well aware that entering this market could jeopardize the strong privacy reputation their company has cultivated over the past decade.

      Apple intends to implement privacy safeguards that exceed those offered by Meta and Samsung. The company is likely to prioritize on-device processing, avoid facial recognition technologies, and steer clear of anything similar to Meta's proposed “super-sensing” mode, which would analyze a wearer’s surroundings without activating a recording light. Moreover, Apple does not plan to adopt Meta's practice of allowing contractors to review video footage captured by the glasses, having already navigated a similar controversy concerning its Siri voice assistant.

      One possibility under consideration by Apple executives is to include a complete camera system but disable both photo and video recording, limiting the cameras to providing visual data for AI applications that identify objects and locations. An alternative prototype eliminates the camera entirely, retaining functionalities such as hands-free Siri access, music playback, and phone calls without any recording features. Both options would sacrifice the key appeal of Meta’s glasses: the ability to effortlessly capture first-person video of memorable events.

      The privacy concerns are far from theoretical. Apple is embarking on a critical product cycle, with anticipated launches including the 20th anniversary iPhone, a second-generation foldable, camera-equipped AirPods, and new Macs in 2027. In New York State, smart glasses have already been banned from courtrooms, and Royal Caribbean has prohibited their use in casinos, restrooms, and children’s areas. Samsung has referred to the privacy situation as an “industry-shared problem” demanding a collective resolution.

      The glasses were initially slated for launch this year under the N50 codename, but Apple postponed the timeline to refine its privacy messaging. The company recognizes that good intentions do not prevent misuse; for instance, AirTags, designed for locating belongings, quickly became associated with stalking. Camera-equipped glasses will likely encounter similar issues, and Apple may spend years updating software and collaborating with regulators to tackle these challenges.