Apple has postponed the presentation of its first smart glasses to WWDC in June 2027, and sales are anticipated for the end of that year, according to Bloomberg analyst Mark Gurman.
The device, codenamed N50, was initially scheduled for late 2026 with a launch in early 2027, but the new schedule pushes it back by about six months.
Gurman points out that Apple’s vision The hardware group and related teams consider privacy their top priority and aim to distance the launch from the criticism facing Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses.
Apple has not issued any public statement regarding the N50. Gurman’s projected timeline for the device has already changed once this year.
Apple delays smart glasses for privacy reasons
In May 2026, Gurman changed the release window from 2026 to 2027, initially citing concerns about the readiness of Apple’s visual AI system for a first-generation device. Its July 26, 2026 report now attributes the six-month delay to ongoing privacy work.
These two factors are separate: the initial delay was due to AI preparation, while the current postponement is attributed to privacy-related hardware and software work that Apple has not publicly disclosed.
Gurman reports that Apple has tested three camera setups for the glasses: one with a camera subject to new privacy restrictions, a second that allows the camera to provide visual information only to Siri and Apple Intelligence without allowing image saving or sharing, and a third that bypasses the camera entirely.
Gurman says the most likely result is a camera with enhanced privacy restrictions. He notes that eliminating photo and video capture would eliminate a key feature that contributed to sales of Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses.
Apple has not yet decided whether the glasses will include a functional camera, leaving this question unresolved less than a year before the planned reveal.
Apple plans privacy protections ahead of WWDC reveal
One planned protection is similar to a change Meta implemented for its Ray-Ban glasses on July 7, 2026, which automatically disables the camera if tampering with the recording indicator light is detected.
This update followed reports of users disabling the LED to record discreetly. Apple is developing a comparable handling response for its glasses.
Apple also plans to use on-device processing, as with Apple Intelligence in other products, ensuring that captured data remains on the device by default. Gurman reports that Apple intends not to use customer recordings to train its AI models, which differs from Meta’s approach.
By choosing WWDC instead of a fall hardware event, Apple is giving developers several months to create apps and integrations before the glasses are available to consumers.
Apple typically reserves its September keynotes for new iPhones. Gurman notes that Meta instead enabled third-party apps and games for its Ray-Ban Display glasses only after the hardware was released, while the WWDC reveal gives developers early lead time.
Meta privacy scrutiny raises questions for Apple
Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses faced scrutiny in February 2026 after Swedish journalists reported that contractors at Sama, a Nairobi-based outsourcing company working for Meta, had reviewed images of Ray-Ban Meta wearers, including recordings of private spaces. The contractors claimed the images were used for AI training.
While Meta’s privacy policy reveals that recordings may be reviewed by human personnel, this information is not prominently featured in the company’s marketing.
On March 4, 2026, consumers Gina Bartone of New Jersey and Mateo Canu of California filed a class action lawsuit, Bartone v. Meta Platforms, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The lawsuit names Meta Platforms and EssilorLuxottica, Ray-Ban’s parent company, as defendants, alleging they misled consumers about the privacy of their images.
The UK Information Commissioner’s Office contacted Meta the same week and stated that “devices that process personal data, including smart glasses, should give users control and provide approval. In July 2026, Instagram director Adam Mosseri announced that the platform would remove accounts that posted videos using smart glasses to secretly film and harass people, following an increase in prank and entertainer content recorded with Meta’s devices.
“If you post content that takes advantage of people and harasses them… we will remove the content,” Mosseri said. Meta has not disclosed the criteria for enforcing this rule or how violations are identified. Violations are detected.
Since Apple has not publicly acknowledged the N50, key details are based on Gurman’s reporting rather than official statements from the company.
Apple has not confirmed the timing of WWDC 2027, the inclusion of a camera, or specific privacy features for the first-generation device. As the Gurman timeline already changed once in 2026, the revelation window may change again before June 2027.
