Apple said to delay smart glasses launch after Meta backlash

Apple is likely to delay the launch of its smart glasses until WWDC 2027, prioritizing privacy features to distinguish itself from Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses, which have faced backlash over privacy and consent issues, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Apple said to delay smart glasses launch after Meta backlash Chance Townsend /author/chance-townsend Mother Jones . Read Full Bio /author/chance-townsend Apple https://mashable.com/category/apple is likely to wait until WWDC 2027 https://mashable.com/category/wwdc to unveil its own take on smart glasses. That's in part because of additional work on privacy features, and other product safeguards, at a time when Meta's smart glasses are coming under fire. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-07-26/apple-glasses-may-debut-at-wwdc-2027-privacy-camera-features-versus-meta-ms1v7lta , Apple views privacy as its top priority, with engineers and marketers trying hard to distinguish the company's approach from Meta's. Apple is expected to avoid using facial recognition in its smart glasses, while sending less data to the cloud and processing more in the device itself. The company also won't use customer recordings to train AI models. Given the phrase " pervert glasses https://fortune.com/2026/07/28/ray-ban-meta-pervert-glasses-secret-videos-women/ " has been gaining traction online in reference to the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, all of those moves from Apple make sense. Meta's glasses helped establish the consumer market for AI-powered eyewear, but have also become associated with problems of privacy and consent. Terms of Use https://www.ziffdavis.com/terms-of-use and Privacy Policy https://www.ziffdavis.com/ztg-privacy-policy . You May Also Like We've reported on prank creators and pickup artists https://mashable.com/article/meta-ray-ban-glasses-are-making-it-easier-to-film-strangers-for-content using Meta Ray-Ban glasses to discreetly record strangers for viral social media content, even as concerns were raised around the legality of recording in public spaces. Privacy advocates note wearable cameras make covert recording easier, and could encourage businesses to restrict the devices. Meta's latest smart glasses launch https://mashable.com/life/meta-smart-glasses-kylie-privacy , including new fashion-focused frames, sparked even more debate over the visibility of the glasses' recording indicators. They're drawing scrutiny from lawmakers, and consumers are increasingly uneasy. No wonder Apple has considered limiting or removing video-recording capabilities altogether, according to Gurman. However, doing so might undermine one of the biggest selling points of smart glasses — legitimately capturing priceless moments with family and friends. If Apple introduces smart glasses — whether at WWDC 2027 or after — the company will be judged by whether it can convince consumers that its camera-equipped eyewear is more deserving of trust than the devices that came before it. Topics Apple https://mashable.com/category/apple Augmented Reality https://mashable.com/category/augmented-reality Gadgets https://mashable.com/category/gadgets Meta https://mashable.com/category/meta Chance Townsend is the General Assignments Editor at Mashable, covering tech, video games, dating apps, digital culture, and whatever else comes his way. He has a Master's in Journalism from the University of North Texas and is a proud orange cat father. His writing has also appeared in PC Mag and Mother Jones . In his free time, he cooks, loves to sleep, and greatly enjoys Detroit sports. If you have any tips or want to talk shop about the Lions, you can reach out to him on Bluesky @offbrandchance.bsky.social https://bsky.app/profile/offbrandchance.bsky.social or by email at email protected /cdn-cgi/l/email-protection 7e1d161f101d1b500a1109100d1b101a3e04171818131b1a171f501d1113 .