Apple is developing its debut smart glasses with a heavy focus on user privacy. The wearable device will feature built in speakers and microphones alongside cameras designed purely for local artificial intelligence tasks. However, the company is still testing different hardware prototypes and does not plan to showcase the final product until next year.
Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman has revealed details about the ongoing hardware tests inside the tech giant. Engineers have built multiple prototypes to evaluate how cameras should function in public spaces. 1 test model features cameras that only scan physical surroundings to feed the AI helper, preventing users from recording standard photos or videos. Another design drops the cameras entirely to bypass privacy concerns.
The final product will likely include cameras paired with brand new privacy safeguards. Apple intends to process all visual data directly on the device itself. This means the system will not send private video streams to external cloud servers. Developers also plan to skip face recognition and block the hardware from constant recording. The company will also refrain from using owner data to train its intelligence models.
The device is expected to debut at the WWDC conference in mid 2027. Shipments to retail stores should follow by the end of that same year. While pricing is still unknown, the glasses will support hands free phone calls, music streaming, and Siri notifications. This setup positions the wearable as a direct competitor to existing smart glasses on the market.
