Apple to Drop AI Smart Glasses on Meta

Apple plans to launch smart glasses in late 2026 to compete with Meta's Ray-Bans. Bloomberg sources say the company wants to release the wearable during the fourth quarter. Engineers are building cameras, microphones, and artificial intelligence into the frames. Apple employees claim their glasses will match Meta products but with superior build quality. The tech giant hopes to beat competitors in the emerging smart eyewear market.

The glasses will capture photos and videos like Meta models do. Users can also get turn-by-turn directions, translations, music, and phone calls through the device. Apple adds privacy indicators so people know when recording happens. Accessibility features might also help vision-impaired users get descriptions of their surroundings. Siri will power most smart functions and answer questions about nearby objects.

Apple skips augmented reality capabilities for this first model. True AR glasses will arrive years later when components become cheaper and smaller. The company plans to manufacture large quantities before year-end to prepare for mass production. Apple CEO Tim Cook wants to dominate the smart glasses space quickly. Engineers use internal AI models rather than outside technology for most features.