Apple is reportedly planning to announce an AI-powered glass without a display next year, ahead of its release in 2027.
Apple, Inc. (AAPL) is planning to take Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) head-on with rival artificial intelligence (AI) glasses offerings, even as it puts its revamped Vision Pro headset development on the back burner, according to a Bloomberg report, published late Wednesday.
Cupertino’s lag in AI has been among the primary reasons for Apple’s stock underperformance this year. With smartglasses emerging as the holy grail for consumer AI adoption, the Tim Cook-led company has deemed it fit to step up initiatives in this direction, Bloomberg columnist Mark Gurman said, citing sources who asked not to be identified.
Mark Zuckerberg-led Meta has a strong presence in the AI smart glasses market and it launched the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses with a full-color, high-resolution display.
Amid the increased focus on AI smart glasses, Apple has reportedly shelved its plans to develop a cheaper and lighter variant of its Vision Pro headset, which was slated for release in 2027.
According to Gurman, Apple is developing at least two types of smart glasses:
- A version with a display pitted against Meta Ray-Ban Display
- One, dubbed N50, which will pair with an iPhone but without a display
Apple is reportedly planning to announce the latter product next year, before its release in 2027. Meanwhile, the one with a display, initially scheduled for 2028, could be released a year earlier. Gurman noted that Apple is looking to focus on voice integration and AI, two areas where it has had issues in the past. Apple’s AI, which it calls Apple Intelligence, was launched later than its peers, and the company also delayed the release of an upgraded version of the Siri personal assistant.
Gurman said Apple’s AI glasses will likely come in a variety of styles and will be powered by a new chip. It will be equipped with speakers for music playback, cameras for recording media, and voice-control features that work in conjunction with a connected phone. The company is also planning a suite of health tracking capabilities for the device.
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment toward Apple stock shifted to ‘extremely bullish’ (24/100) by late Wednesday, up from ‘bullish’ the day before. The message volume on the stream remained at ‘low’ levels.
Apple stock has risen 2.37% this year, holding the dubious distinction of being the worst-performing member of the Magnificent Seven group of mega-cap stocks.
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