The Apple smart glasses with cameras and no heads-up display have been rumored for the end of 2026, but could now come at the end of 2027 instead. Though that’s not the whole story.
Rumors about Apple’s smart glasses effort have been increasing in frequency since 2024, but primarily from a single source. One other highly accurate source that has been in play since 2023 has offered a differing timeline, until now.
According to the Bloomberg newsletter “Power On,” Apple is pushing back its smart glasses release to late 2027 after hitting some development snags. While Mark Gurman didn’t offer his usual derogatory pile-on of Apple’s internal struggles, the timeline shift comes as a bit of a surprise.
His initial reports in 2024 around the latest codenamed N50 glasses suggested a 2027 launch window. He later suggested in January 2025 that Apple smart glasses development had hit “massive hurdles” that could take years to get past.
In May 2025, Gurman shared that Apple was aiming for a late 2026 launch window that has been repeated frequently by him since.
He’s also been clear that Apple smart glasses don’t have an AR display, and those would arrive much later. Now, Gurman has been repeating “by the end of the decade,” which, given it is 2026, isn’t exactly that far away.
As recently as February and April 2026, Gurman has repeated that late 2026 release timeline. What is unusual is that there was never any hint of a potential delay or struggle to get the glasses to mass production.
iPhone Fold rumors continue to push for a fall release in spite of repeated production issues
Then comes today’s report shifting the release back an entire year. Meanwhile, Apple has seemingly run into repeated problems getting iPhone Fold to mass production, which hasn’t started, yet it still reportedly isn’t being pushed back.
So, it seems odd that Apple’s timeline would suddenly shift around 8 months out from announcing the product. But then there’s the other leaker’s timeline.
Enter Ming-Chi Kuo
The other leaker I mentioned earlier is Ming-Chi Kuo, and he has been much more reserved in his leaking frequency on Apple smart glasses. While his history is hit and miss, the details he gets right are enough to have earned him quite the respect in the field.
Apple’s rumored AR glasses have been discussed for years
However, I will note that his accuracy and resources seemed to have dropped since he shifted to his social-media-based leaking patterns of today.
Apple’s AR and VR efforts have been seeing consistent leaks since as early as 2015, but the most recent iteration was discussed by Kuo in 2021. Then, his report was much more forward-looking and thus, wholly inaccurate.
I mean, the man called for Apple Vision Pro in 2022, full-AR Apple Glass in 2025, and AR contact lenses by 2030. It is a wild report in retrospect.
Jump forward to something a little less speculative, and his reporting has been consistent with the Apple smart glasses release window. In June 2025, Kuo reported that Apple was aiming to ship three to five million Meta Ray-Ban-like smart glasses in the second quarter of 2027.
Given Kuo’s strong suit is the supply chain and the fact that he had shipping estimates, it is easy to argue that he’s had the correct timeline all along. So, it is curious that Gurman has been saying late 2026 or early 2027 until today.
Game of leaks
Of course, all of these rumors are nebulous and will always shift and move as new information is obtained. Accuracy isn’t always easy to determine too since the age of a leak once it is released is rarely known.
Apple Vision Pro is the start of Apple’s work in the wearable AR/VR field
For example, Kuo might have heard from the supply chain that Apple’s supply-side management aimed for an initial order in 2027. Gurman might have heard from his internal source, likely on or near the Vision Product Group, that the internal team’s goals were the end of 2026.
Then, as deadlines were missed and supply chains shifted, the internal team finally realized that their stretch goal wasn’t possible. Which means shifting back to the supply-chain suggested goal of 2027, thus making them meet Kuo’s previously reported timeline.
In essence, both leakers could have accurately reported what they had heard, and both be correct in this instance. Then there’s also the chance they’re both wrong and Apple announces smart glasses at a completely different time.
However, Gurman has proven somewhat unreliable when it comes to reporting around the Vision Product Group. As Daring Fireball pointed out, Gurman completely missed the Apple Vision Pro update to M5 when he reported in January 2025 that “I don’t believe there will be a new headset from Apple this year.”
Then, later in April 2025, Gurman said a lighter Apple Vision product could ship by the end of 2025 or early 2026 and even suggested that the M5 refresh had been abandoned. The unchanged M5 model shipped in October 2025 instead.
There is no doubt that Gurman has some insider connections that give him unprecedented access into Apple’s inner workings. However, it is important to note that he is no foolproof and does make mistakes — often when trying to create a narrative around an otherwise innocuous leak.
visionOS 27 could hint at Apple’s future AR plans
WWDC is on June 8 and could provide a hint of what the rest of Apple’s year might look like. However, since the initial set of Apple Smart Glasses won’t have a display, there is unlikely to be any sign of them in visionOS 27.
Then there’s the fact that Apple has several glasses-related products in development beyond the N50. Several of which, we have no idea what they are or when they could release.
There’s always the chance that one set is coming at the end of 2026 and another in 2027. Apple’s supply chain is immense and these leakers may be describing different parts of different elephants.
Time will tell if the smart glasses will arrive in the next twelve months. In this case, I’d bet on Kuo’s initial report of a late 2027 launch until he says otherwise.
