Apple has postponed the launch of its first smart glasses to late 2027, with an unveiling now expected at WWDC in June, as the company prioritises privacy safeguards that could fundamentally alter the product category. The decision, reported by Bloomberg, comes as Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses face mounting social and regulatory pushback. Instagram has begun suspending accounts that post harassing recordings made with the glasses, including two with over a million followers, according to platform head Adam Mosseri. The enforcement signals a tightening of content policies around wearable cameras.

The core tension lies in the always-present camera. In the US, wearers of Meta glasses report unease in public spaces, with some venues banning the devices. Courts in New York and districts in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have prohibited them. Apple’s response, viewed from Moscow and Southeast Asia, is to explore prototypes that either omit the camera or restrict it to AI-driven visual analysis, stripping out photo and video capture. One design would use cameras solely to feed environmental context to Siri without user-facing recording, sacrificing the first-person filming that has been a key selling point for Meta’s glasses but aligning with Apple’s privacy brand.

The shift is part of a broader recalibration of Apple’s wearable AI strategy. Alongside the glasses, the company is developing a pendant camera and updated AirPods with low-resolution cameras, all designed to pipe visual data to a more conversational Siri. A public beta of iOS 27, noted in Iranian coverage, already previews this AI-enhanced assistant, which can handle multi-step requests and maintain context across apps. The integration aims to create a seamless ecosystem, but analysts in London note that Apple’s AI capabilities are not yet mature enough to be the primary draw for a camera-less device. Success will influence purchasing decisions in markets where iPhone loyalty is strong but price sensitivity is high.

The next concrete milestone is WWDC 2027, where Apple is expected to detail the glasses’ capabilities and privacy architecture. In the interim, Meta faces a class-action lawsuit in the US over privacy. How Apple’s privacy-first design is received—and whether it can overcome the functionality gap left by removing video recording—will shape the wearable AI market. The company’s attempt to move beyond bulky headsets like its own Vision Pro, which has seen limited consumer uptake, now hinges on resolving the social friction that cameras in everyday eyewear generate.