To some, it may seem overdue. After all, the idea of AR/AV wearables has been in the air for years now. What it looks like, though, is that Apple is now poised to introduce its own line of smart glasses, to compete with Meta’s famous Ray-Bans that pioneer this kind of hands-free tech.
However, there are some big differences between the two designs. That plays into a list I put together of early information on Apple’s design plans. So let’s start with the big one: whether to make smart glasses “active,” like Meta did, or “passive,” as Apple is apparently planning to.
The Accessory
Importantly, Apple glasses are reportedly going to function as virtual appendages of the iPhone. Kind of like the Apple watch. They’ll be “tethered” to the phone through Bluetooth. Apple clarifies that the glasses themselves “won’t be a computing device” – instead, they’ll take the data from the iPhone and its cellular/wifi connection, and present it to the user. But they will offer a hands-free experience, which, as I often comment, is long overdue.
The decision to use the iPhone as the engine may turn out to be a good one. Because that’s what’s important in introducing the glasses in the first place. They don’t need to “do” things in terms of running apps or having an operating system, memory, or data I/O (excepting the iPhone connection.) They’re visual devices, like a monitor or a smart TV.
So think about how this affects the market and the way that our wearable engineering will progress. It’s also a “moat” for Apple, since Meta doesn’t make phones.
New Frame Materials
The news is that the Apple glasses will have acetate frames. What does that mean?
It means that Apple’s wearables will be somewhat flammable. But really, acetate is just a plant-based synthetic – it still has chemicals that are petrochemical and sourced from fossil fuels, but the core material is made from cotton or some other biologic. That’s why the acetate frames will feel different to the touch, more matte than glossy, and it also means that they can, in the right conditions, break down better. They don’t use as much real fossil-fuel plastic. So that’s another feather in Apple’s cap.
Style and Panache
Reportedly, Apple will offer four style choices for its AR glasses:
- Larger rectangular frames like the Meta Ray-Bans
- Oval or circular frames roughly the same size
- A slimmer blocky design
- A smaller oval or circular design
That’s in addition to various finish colors, so that users can customize their Apple glasses to their wardrobe and personal aesthetic.
Doing Stuff
So if Apple’s glasses won’t be full-on OS devices like Meta’s Ray-Bans, what will they do?
Well, the designs will have a built-in microphone to take voice commands, advanced Siri operation with an internal speaker, and their own camera. Again, a lot of this is going to be interface design, with the glasses basically delivering image and sound to the user, or taking the user’s image and sound, and delivering it back to the phone, like a courier daemon.
“One of the primary purposes of the smart glasses is to act as a wearable interface for Apple Intelligence,” writes Roman Loyola at Macworld. “Much of their functionality will depend on Apple’s next-generation Siri, which is rumored to be previewed alongside broader AI upgrades at WWDC26.”
Along with all of this, the company is purportedly experimenting with the idea of agile manufacturing.
“Apple is apparently testing 3D printing technology for manufacturing, but the glasses will need to be able to accommodate a battery, a chip, a camera, a microphone, speakers, and other technology, so that might limit how slim and lightweight Apple can make the glasses,” writes Juli Clover at MacRumors.
A Little Warning Light
Here’s another bit of Clover’s reporting on the nascent devices that I found interesting.
“There is likely to be an LED light that indicates when the camera is active so no one can secretly record you,” Clover writes.
That’s a reminder that some features don’t have to be extremely high-tech: by mounting a “recording light” on the device, makers simply allow the subjects in the field of vision to know whether the camera is on, or not. That may end up being extremely important as a design choice, in a wide variety of situations.
As for the cost, we don’t have that yet. But this is exciting for iPhone owners who want to try the smart glasses experience. Pretty soon, we won’t have to tap and touch and type all of the time. And our thumbs will be happy.
