According to Bloomberg, this project is expected to become a counterweight to Meta's Ray-Ban glasses line, and mark a new step for Apple in shaping the next generation of AI products. However, in parallel with this plan, Apple has decided to cancel the idea of developing an Apple Watch with an integrated camera.
According to knowledgeable sources, Apple has begun preparing to produce a large number of smart glasses models by the end of this year with partners abroad. This pair of glasses was initially internally called the N50, and was later included in a broader portfolio called the N401, reflecting a longer-term strategy in the field of AI wearables.
Apple's smart glasses will be equipped with cameras, microphones, and speakers, allowing for environmental analysis and receiving commands via Siri voice assistant. Users can use glasses to make calls, listen to music, translate languages in real time and receive instructions. Whether it has the same function as Meta's product or Alphabet's Android XR-powered devices, a source said that Apple's glasses will be more sophisticatedly crafted.
While aiming for real AR glasses that can display overlapping digital content to the real world, Apple said that this product still needs many more years to complete. At the same time, Apple is said to be developing specialized chips for glasses and plans to mass-produc this component from next year.
In addition, not all ideas are kept. Apple has officially stopped the development of the Apple Watch and Apple Watch Ultra with integrated cameras, which are expected to launch in 2027. However, the company continues to research AirPods headphones integrated with cameras as another potential direction in the AI device segment.
Developing a breakthrough AI device is a fierce competition. Apple has had difficulty integrating attractive AI features to iPhone, iPad, and Mac, while rivals like Meta with Llama or Google with Gemini are advancing rapidly thanks to its powerful AI platform. For now, Apple still has to rely on Google Lens and OpenAI to support the Image Analysis feature on the iPhone.
To keep up with the race, Apple is expanding its Apple Intelligence platform by allowing outside developers to access large language models (LLM), promising to create a new wave of AI applications on the App Store.
Despite many challenges, Apple still has high expectations for smart glasses, considering this an important turning point in its journey to conquer the wearable AI device market.
