Apple Eyes 2026 for Smart Glasses Debut, Gears Up to Battle Meta, Google

With Apple readying its first-ever smart glasses, a new arena in the tech wars is set to open. Apple plans to introduce its first smart glasses in 2026, as it bids to make its presence known in the augmented reality (AR) sector and compete directly with competitors Meta and Google, according to a report by Bloomberg. 

Industry insiders and supply chain rumblings report that prototyping is to begin by the end of this year, with the company targeting a formal announcement by the end of  2026. Although Apple hasn't announced any specifics, insiders say the device will have lightweight frames, cutting-edge display technology, and extensive integration with the Apple ecosystem. 

According to Mark Gurman, a credible source for Apple-related updates, the company has designed a special chip for its smart glasses, which could have two versions- one with AR and the other without AR -backing. This chip has been modelled in a way that is power-efficient and can control multiple cameras at once- a possibility that we have already seen on Meta Ray Bans.  Gurman also predicts that these glasses could enter production by next year and hit the market shelves by 2028.

Such a launch would represent Apple's most ambitious step in space computing since the release of the Vision Pro headset. While the Vision Pro focuses on immersive mixed-reality environments, Apple's smart glasses will provide an everyday, heads-up experience, syncing digital information with the physical world in real time.

The action puts Apple directly at odds with Meta, whose Ray-Ban Stories and Quest-driven glasses seek to remap social and interactive computing, and Google, which keeps building its next-gen AR optics. Experts say Apple's move could become a watershed moment.  It is widely believed that Apple doesn't jump into categories, instead, it waits, watches,and  then reinvents them. If their glasses strike the right balance of function, form, and ecosystem, it could be the iPhone moment for AR wearables and worry its competitors. 

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