Apple eyes 2026 smart glasses launch amid AI hardware race, Bloomberg reports

Investing.com -- Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) is accelerating development on smart glasses targeted for release in late 2026, marking a deeper push into AI-integrated consumer hardware, Bloomberg reported earlier. The iPhone maker has shelved a previously considered Apple Watch with a built-in camera, shifting focus entirely toward glasses that could rival Meta Platforms’ (NASDAQ:META) Ray-Ban partnership and Google’s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) recently-announced partnership with Warby Parker (NYSE:WRBY) for AI glasses.

Sources familiar with the roadmap told Bloomberg that Apple plans to begin large-scale prototype production with overseas suppliers by the end of this year. The N401 project, as it is now known internally, represents a wider effort to introduce ambient computing wearables powered by Apple’s AI systems, including Siri.

The glasses are expected to support cameras, microphones, and speakers, enabling them to analyze the user’s surroundings and perform voice-activated tasks. The device would handle functions such as phone calls, music playback, turn-by-turn navigation, and real-time translation, mirroring capabilities found in Meta’s latest Ray-Ban smart glasses.

This has been a pivotal week for AI and hardware competition, with multiple announcements signaling heightened urgency in the space. On Wednesday, OpenAI said it would acquire Jony Ive’s secretive AI hardware startup, io, in a move aimed at developing devices that may one day challenge the iPhone’s ubiquity.

Ive is Apple’s former Chief Design Officer and helped define the aesthetics of the iPhone and Apple Watch. OpenAI’s plan to release its first hardware products next year suggests that competition for ambient AI wearables is not only intensifying but also threatening Apple on its home turf.

Meanwhile, at Google’s Tuesday I/O developer conference, the company announced its smart glasses alongside a partnership with Warby Parker aimed at creating lighter, more comfortable AI-powered frames. This signals serious intent from Alphabet to gain a foothold in AI-native wearables while bringing its technology to retail scale.

Apple remains committed to releasing eventual augmented reality (AR) spectacles that merge digital content directly into the user’s field of view. Those plans are still years away, positioning the 2026 smart glasses as a precursor to the company’s long-term AR vision and its response to a rapidly evolving AI hardware landscape.

Apple eyes 2026 smart glasses launch amid AI hardware race, Bloomberg reports

Tinder CEO Iosotaluno to resign in latest Match management move

Cigna takes different approach with GLP-1s, more favorable for Eli Lilly