Apple’s “Glowtime” event is set to be a big one with iPhone 16, Apple Watch Series 10 and even the much-awaited AirPods Max 2 tipped for the show. But looking further down the line, Cupertino is thinking about something brand new: smart glasses.
According to Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter, Apple may be planning to launch its own rival to the Meta Ray-Ban glasses without the augmented reality visuals. The company has noticed that, in Gurman's own words, “the category has done quite well for Meta” and so, “Apple may try to join the party.”
What could Apple smart glasses do?
So with that in mind, let’s put on the tin foil hat and make some predictions on what these glasses could do. You see, the feature set is already rather clear based on what Meta has done with its specs — camera glasses with speakers and a mic that bring social photography/videography features and AI smarts together in an impressively wearable device.
You can see how these would come together for Apple too. Apple Intelligence could bring that personal context along with vision AI to these glasses. You already see this in some form in the Photos app, as your iPhone is able to identify what is on screen based on location data and machine learning. More of that could be big.
Second, I can confidently say that Apple’s continuity will play a part here. At the moment, the options afforded to you with Meta Ray-Bans are as seamless as they can be, but there are some manual button taps you need to do in transferring images and photos over. The Cupertino crew will probably make this process automatic over AirDrop, so you’ll see the photos instantly.
On top of that, you’ll probably be able to send and receive messages, take and receive calls, and maybe even log into devices if Apple is so bold as to put TouchID on this thing.
And to make AirDrop work, Apple will need to pack this with an ultra-wideband chip, which would bring Find My to the glasses too. Honestly, the amount of times I’ve lost my Meta Ray-Bans around the apartment — this could be a Godsend.
But what features do you feel would take pride of place in Apple’s competitor? Maybe call them AirGlasses or something like that! Share your thoughts in the comments. And don't forget to follow along with our Apple event live blog for the latest news from today's event.
