Apple Plans Smart Glasses Launch for 2027 Amid Privacy Concerns

Apple is preparing to enter the smart glasses market, with a planned unveiling at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2026 and a release by the end of 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The company faces a significant challenge: Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses have been plagued by privacy scandals, earning the nickname "pervert glasses" after incidents where contractors in Kenya reviewed intimate user footage for AI training and users secretly recorded women. Apple, which has built its brand on privacy, is considering selling glasses without a camera or with a camera that only feeds data to AI tools without recording photos or video. Gurman reports Apple will avoid facial recognition and Meta's "super-sensing" mode, and will not use customer recordings to train AI models. Meta has responded by disabling the camera if the recording indicator light is concealed and banning Instagram videos that feature harassment filmed with smart glasses. The camera is a key feature driving Meta's glasses' popularity, used for hands-free filming of children or concerts. Apple's options may limit appeal, but the company prioritizes privacy over functionality.