Apple's Smart Glasses Pushed to Late 2027 — and Siri Is to Blame
Apple has delayed its first smart glasses by roughly a year, with a launch now expected in late 2027 instead of the previously planned late 2026 reveal. The culprit isn't the hardware — it's Siri. Specifically, the visual AI features that make the glasses useful can't ship until Siri is capable enough to handle them, and that capability isn't there yet, per Bloomberg Power On (May 31, 2026).
The missing piece
The N50, as the glasses are codenamed internally, has no AR display. Instead it uses cameras, speakers, and microphones to let Siri identify what you're looking at and provide context — think "what restaurant is that?" or "who wrote this book?" That makes Siri's visual AI the core feature, not an add-on. 9to5Mac (May 31, 2026) reports Apple didn't want to risk shipping a product that felt unfinished, so the whole timeline moved.
The delay is a visible crack in Apple Intelligence. Siri has struggled to keep pace with rivals for more than a year — missed deadlines on the iPhone, questions about HomePod integration — and the N50 pushback makes that pattern impossible to ignore.
A year of runway for everyone else
While Apple waits, the competition isn't standing still. Meta's Ray-Ban Gen 2 glasses — priced from $299 to $499 — tripled sales in 2025, and the $799 Ray-Ban Display model proved people will pay up for smart eyewear. By the time Apple ships, Meta will have two years of brand loyalty and ecosystem lock-in built up among early adopters.
Google and Samsung aren't waiting either. Their Android XR audio glasses, made in partnership with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster, are due in fall 2026 — a full year ahead of Apple, reports Engadget (June 1, 2026).
What Apple is banking on
Apple is targeting a $200–$500 price range, which puts the N50 squarely against the Ray-Ban lineup rather than above it. The differentiation play, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, is design — four frame styles in acetate — and deep iPhone integration. The Apple logo will do some of the selling, too.
Whether that's enough after two years of Meta and Google building habits will be the real test. For now, anyone curious about AI-powered smart glasses has plenty of options to consider before Apple gets there.