Apple plans to unveil its first smart glasses at WWDC in June 2027 and ship them before the end of that year, according to reporter Mark Gurman. The pitch is less about the hardware than about what the glasses can borrow from the iPhone.
The prototypes, code-named N50, are reportedly slightly thinner than Meta's second-generation Ray-Bans. Some test units have oval camera openings built into the frame, with no protruding housings. A front light signals use or charging, and Apple is experimenting with more privacy features. Testers can charge the glasses while wearing them, using a flat three-pin magnetic connector "roughly the size of a Tic Tac" near the end of the left temple arm. Gurman said it is unclear whether that design will ship.
The first model will not show augmented reality imagery. Instead, Siri will use the cameras to answer questions about the wearer's surroundings: identifying buildings, suggesting meals from what is in the refrigerator, giving directions, and translating signs and conversations. Calls, messages, notifications, calendars, reminders, music, and smart home controls are also planned.
The software model is the notable part. Developers will not build separate glasses apps. Their iPhone apps will run on a paired phone, and Siri will need permission to control specific features inside them, such as booking a table or ordering coffee. The glasses require a recent iPhone, with no Android support. Prototypes reportedly run a reduced version of visionOS 28 on a processor derived from older Apple Watch chips, so the phone does the heavy lifting.
Apple began adding the Siri controls in the first iOS 27.3 beta. The capability was first demonstrated in 2024 and has since been rebuilt on newer AI models. Support for Apple's own apps is planned for December, with third-party support in 2027.
That sequencing is a sensible way to lean on the App Store, which Meta cannot match. It also leaves a screenless device with a single point of failure. If Siri misreads a request to buy movie tickets, there is no display to fall back on. The arrangement echoes the first Apple Watch, which also depended on a phone, and the glasses will overlap with the camera-equipped AirPods due in late 2027. Whether people will talk their way through purchases in public is a question the prototypes cannot answer.