Apple’s first smart glasses could arrive next year

Apple is planning to debut its first pair of smart glasses next year, according to a report from Bloomberg. The upcoming glasses will reportedly come with cameras, microphones, and speakers, “allowing them to analyze the external world and take requests via the Siri voice assistant,” Bloomberg says.

The glasses would also be capable of taking phone calls, controlling music playback, performing live translations, and offering directions. They’ll also reportedly feature an in-house chip, though plans for incorporating augmented reality still “remain years away.”

The rumor comes just one day after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced the acquisition of io, the AI hardware design company owned by former Apple designer Jony Ive. Altman and Ive plan to launch their first AI devices next year, and rumors suggest that it will be a screenless device with built-in cameras and microphones.

A source tells Bloomberg that Apple’s device will be similar to Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, “but better made.” Meta sold more than 1 million pairs of its Ray-Ban smart glasses last year, while Google just announced that it’s working with Xreal, Warby Parker, Samsung, and Gentle Monster to create AI smart glasses on its Android XR platform.

In addition to ramping up work on smart glasses, Bloomberg reports that Apple has scrapped plans to create a smartwatch with cameras and AI features, like Visual Intelligence. Apple is still working on AirPods with cameras, Bloomberg says.