Apple delays smart glasses to WWDC 2027 as it grapples with camera privacy threat

Can Apple make smart glasses that aren't a constant privacy threat?

As Apple prepares to launch its first smart glasses, the company is also wrestling with how to address consumer privacy concerns, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman reports that Apple has pushed back the launch target from early 2027, with the glasses now set for unveiling at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2027 and actually becoming available by the end of the year. That delay allows Apple to work on the product itself, and on the messaging around privacy. It sounds like the company has noticed the concerns around Meta's smart glasses -- sometimes decried as "pervert glasses" -- being used to make non-consensual video recordings. That could be a bigger issue for Apple, which constantly emphasizes privacy in its marketing. Among other things, Apple will reportedly try to emphasize privacy-friendly features like on-device processing, as well as the absence of facial recognition. The company will likely steer clear of using customer recordings to train AI models, and it's unlikely to follow Meta's reported practice of using contractors to review customer footage.

Apple targets WWDC 2027 for smart glasses but is still deciding on the camera question

Apple is aiming for a WWDC 2027 smart glasses unveil and is debating whether to include a camera amid the privacy backlash Meta created Apple is currently aiming to unveil its first smart glasses at next June's Worldwide Developers Conference, with a consumer release by the end of 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. But the company's engineering and marketing teams are still wrestling with a question that will define the product: whether its glasses should include a camera at all. The teams developing the device, code-named N50, within Apple's Vision hardware group see privacy as the top priority, Gurman reported on Saturday. That caution is a direct response to the backlash Meta created. Meta has sold more than seven million pairs of its Ray-Ban smart glasses, but the product's camera has become a lightning rod for privacy complaints, with women being secretly filmed in public and Kenyan data workers reporting they were asked to review intimate footage captured by the devices. Apple executives are acutely aware that simply entering the same category risks undermining a privacy reputation the company has spent more than a decade building. Apple is planning safeguards that go beyond what Meta and Samsung have offered. The company will favour on-device processing, eschew facial recognition, and avoid anything resembling Meta's proposed "super-sensing" mode, which would continuously analyse a wearer's surroundings without activating the recording indicator light. Apple also does not plan to follow Meta's practice of having contractors review footage captured by its glasses, having already dealt with a similar controversy around its Siri voice assistant. One option Apple executives have debated would include the full camera system but disable photo and video recording entirely, limiting the cameras to feeding visual data into AI tools that identify objects and places. Another prototype eliminates the camera hardware altogether, retaining hands-free Siri access, music playback, and phone calls without any recording capability. Both approaches would sacrifice what has made Meta's glasses popular: effortless first-person video of holidays, children, and sporting events. The privacy problem is not theoretical. Apple is entering one of the most important product cycles in its history, with the 20th anniversary iPhone, a second-generation foldable, camera-equipped AirPods, and new Macs all expected in 2027. Courtrooms across New York State have already banned smart glasses, Royal Caribbean has barred them from casinos, restrooms, and children's areas, and Samsung has called the privacy situation an "industry-shared problem" requiring a collective fix. The glasses were originally targeted for introduction later this year under the N50 code name, but Apple delayed the timeline partly to refine its privacy message. The company knows from experience that good intentions do not prevent misuse: its AirTags, designed to locate belongings, quickly became associated with stalking. Camera-equipped glasses will inevitably face similar problems, and Apple will likely spend years updating software and working with regulators to address them.

Apple delays smart glasses over privacy concerns, wants to avoid Meta's mistakes: Report

Apple is said to be considering two different ways to make its glasses more privacy-friendly. Apple has reportedly delayed its smart glasses to spend more time improving privacy features. The move comes as Meta's smart glasses continue to face criticism over privacy concerns. While Meta has found commercial success with its smart glasses, many people raise questions over the idea that the glasses can quietly capture photos and videos. Since the cameras are small, people nearby may not always notice when recording is taking place. Meta has added some safeguards to address these concerns. For example, its glasses include a small light that turns on while recording or taking photos. The device can also stop recording if it detects that the light has been tampered with. However, these measures have not fully removed privacy worries. Also read: OpenAI finds AI agent leaving escape notes for its future versions: Report Apple now wants to avoid those same concerns by designing its glasses differently. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said in a report that Apple's Vision hardware team has made privacy its No. 1 priority. Rather than asking people to simply trust the product, Apple is expected to focus on privacy-first features. These reportedly include processing data directly on the device instead of relying heavily on cloud servers, removing facial recognition, and dropping a Meta-like super-sensing mode that constantly analyses a user's surroundings. Apple also reportedly plans to stop contractors from reviewing footage captured by the glasses. According to Gurman, Apple is also "prototyping a slew of new hardware and software-related privacy features not available on current products." The report says Apple is considering two different ways to make its glasses more privacy-friendly. One option is to remove the camera completely. In that case, users would still be able to access AI-powered features, make phone calls and listen to audio, but the glasses would not be able to take photos or record videos. Also read: OpenAI and Sam Altman under legal scrutiny after ChatGPT gives dangerous medical advice: What happened The second option is to keep a camera but prevent it from capturing photos or videos. Instead, the camera would only collect information about the surroundings to support AI features. Apple had originally planned to introduce its smart glasses later this year, as per the report. However, the company is now reportedly planning to unveil them at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June next year and launch them by the end of 2027.