Apple Now Eyes 2026 for Glasses, Scraps Camera Watch: Report

Apple is now working to release its first smart glasses by the end of 2026, according to a new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

The company has accelerated development of the glasses, which will include cameras, microphones, and speakers, and support for Siri voice commands. The glasses are designed to handle tasks like phone calls, music, translations, and navigation—similar to Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses. Sources say they will be like Meta’s but made better.

Apple plans to begin large-scale prototype production later this year with overseas suppliers. Internally, the glasses project is now known as N401 (previously codenamed N50), and it’s part of Apple’s broader push into AI-powered devices. A dedicated chip for the glasses is also in development.

The news comes after yesterday’s blockbuster announcement that OpenAI has teamed up with legendary Apple designer Jony Ive’s AI hardware startup—for $6.5 billion US.

While Apple pushes ahead with smart glasses, the company has shelved plans to launch a camera-equipped Apple Watch. According to the report, development on this project was shut down this week. However, Apple is still exploring other wearable devices with cameras, such as future versions of AirPods.

Sources familiar with the project told Bloomberg that some employees are concerned Apple’s AI tools lag behind competitors like Meta and Google, which may impact the glasses’ success. Apple currently relies on third-party AI tools like Google Lens and OpenAI for visual analysis, but plans to build its own solutions in the future.

Much of the work on Apple’s glasses is being done by the same team behind the Vision Pro headset. That team is also working on new versions of the headset, including a cheaper model and one that connects directly to a Mac.

So instead of 2027, we’re now seeing Apple ramp up its smart glasses efforts to 2026. Let’s see what comes out of this and if Apple can make Siri smart on these spectacles.