According to Bloomberg analyst Mark Gurman, Apple has postponed the unveiling of its first smart glasses at WWDC to June 2027, with sales expected later that year.
The device, codenamed N50, was initially scheduled to launch between late 2026 and early 2027, but the new timeline has seen it delayed by about six months.
Gurman noted that Apple’s Vision Hardware group and related teams consider privacy their top priority and wanted to steer the launch away from the criticism faced by Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses.
Apple has not released any public statements regarding the N50. Gurman’s estimated timeline for the device has already changed once this year.
Apple delays smart glasses due to privacy concerns
In May 2026, Gurman moved the launch window from 2026 to 2027, citing concerns about the readiness of Apple’s visual intelligence AI systems for the first generation device. Their report dated July 26, 2026 now blames ongoing privacy work for the six-month delay.
These two factors are different: the initial delay was caused by AI preparations, 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 configurations for the glasses: one camera subject to new privacy restrictions, a second that allows the camera to only provide visual input to Siri and Apple Intelligence without allowing image saving or sharing, and a third that omits the camera altogether.
Gurman says the most likely outcome is cameras with increased privacy restrictions. He noted that removing photo and video capture would eliminate a key feature that contributes to sales of Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses.
Apple hasn’t yet decided whether the glasses will include a functional camera, leaving the question unresolved less than a year before the planned reveal.
Apple plans privacy protections ahead of WWDC reveal
One planned protection is similar to the Meta change implemented for Ray-Ban glasses on July 7, 2026, which automatically disables the camera if it detects tampering with the recording indicator light.
This update comes after users reported disabling the LED to record discreetly. Apple is developing a comparable tampering response for its glasses.
Apple also plans to use on-device processing, like Apple Intelligence in other products, to ensure 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 provides developers several months to create apps and integrations before the glasses are available to consumers.
Apple usually reserves its September keynotes for new iPhones. Gurman noted that, in contrast, Meta enabled third-party apps and games for its Ray-Ban Display Glasses only after the hardware was released, while WWDC provided developers with advance preparation time.
Meta’s privacy investigation raises questions for Apple
Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses faced scrutiny in February 2026 when Swedish journalists reported that contractors at Saama, a Nairobi-based outsourcing firm working for Meta, had reviewed footage of Ray-Ban Meta users, including recordings from private locations. The contractors said the footage was used for AI training.
While Meta’s privacy policy states that recordings can be reviewed by human staff, this information is not prominently displayed in the company’s marketing.
On March 4, 2026, consumers Gina Bartone of New Jersey and Matteo Canu of California filed a class-action lawsuit, Bartone v. Meta Platform, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The lawsuit names Meta Platform and Ray-Ban’s parent company Essilor Luxottica as defendants, alleging they misled consumers about the privacy of their footage.
The United Kingdom’s Information Commissioner’s Office contacted Meta the same week, stating that “devices that process personal data, including smart glasses, must be put under the control of users and provide reasonable”. In July 2026, Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced that following an increase in prank and pickup-artist content recorded with Meta’s devices, the platform would remove accounts posting videos that use smart glasses to secretly film and harass individuals.
“If you’re posting content that is taking advantage of people and harassing them… we will remove that content,” Mosseri said. Meta has not disclosed the criteria for enforcing this rule or how it identifies violations.
Since Apple hasn’t publicly acknowledged the N50, key details rely on Gurman’s reporting rather than official company statements.
Apple has not confirmed, at the time of WWDC 2027, the inclusion of a camera or specific privacy features for the first-generation device. Since Gurman’s timeline has already changed once to 2026, the reveal window could change again to before June 2027.
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