Apple targets end-of-2026 launch for AI-enhanced smart glasses, shelves camera-enabled watch plans

CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES: Apple Inc. is aiming to release smart glasses by the end of next year as part of a push into AI-enhanced gadgets, but it has shelved plans for a smartwatch that could analyse its surroundings with a built-in camera.

Company engineers are ramping up work on the glasses – a rival to Meta Platforms Inc.’s popular Ray-Bans – in a bid to meet the eyar-end 2026 target.

Apple will start producing large quantities of prototypes at the end of this year with overseas suppliers.

The iPhone maker is looking to join the emerging trend of AI-powered devices – an area where it faces fresh competition. OpenAI said Wednesday that it was teaming up with former Apple Chief Design Officer Jony Ive to introduce hardware products starting next year. The artificial intelligence pioneer is acquiring Ive’s secretive io startup, with the goal of releasing a family of AI devices.

Apple’s glasses would have cameras, microphones and speakers, allowing them to analyse the external world and take requests via the Siri voice assistant. They could also handle tasks such as phone calls, music playback, live translations and turn-by-turn directions. The approach would be similar to that of Meta’s current glasses and upcoming devices running Alphabet’s Inc.’s Android XR operating system.

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Apple shares were up less than 1 percent to $202.46 in New York on Thursday after spending most of the session in negative territory. The stock fell 19 percent this year through Wednesday’s close.

The glasses were originally dubbed N50 internally but now carry the umbrella descriptor N401 – the name of a broader project exploring the category. The company’s plan could always change, though, and it has canceled previous projects.

Apple’s ultimate goal is to release a pair of spectacles with augmented reality, which uses displays and other technology to superimpose digital content on views of the real world. But those remain years away.

One person with knowledge of the glasses said they will be similar to Meta product but better made. The Meta device has increasingly become a hit with consumers, and the company is planning a higher-end product for later this year. Those glasses will include a display, letting wearers see notifications, pictures and other relatively simple visuals. The social networking giant is planning its first pair with true AR in 2027, Bloomberg reported.

Apple has made other attempts to find a breakthrough AI products. That’s included the idea of equipping its smatwatches and AirPods earbuds with cameras, allowing them to absorb more info about the world around them.

The company had actively been working to release a camera-equipped Apple Watch and Apple Watch Ulta by 2027, but that work was shut down this week.

The company continues to work on AirPods with cameras.

Apple also intends to introduce its first foldable phone in late 2026, joining a category that most of its smartphone rivals have already entered. And it’s planning more new designs for 2027.