SAN FRANCISCO — Apple Inc is aiming to release smart glasses at the end of next year as part of a push into AI-enhanced gadgets, but it has shelved plans for a smartwatch that can analyse its surroundings with a built-in camera.
Company engineers are ramping up work on the glasses – a rival to Meta Platforms Inc’s popular Ray-Bans – in a bid to meet the year-end 2026 target, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
Apple will start producing large quantities of prototypes at the end of this year with overseas suppliers, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the products haven’t been announced.
The iPhone maker is looking to join the emerging trend of AI-powered devices – an area where it faces fresh competition. OpenAI said that it was teaming up with former Apple chief design officer Jony Ive to introduce hardware products starting next year.
The artificial intelligence pioneer is acquiring Ive’s secretive io startup, with the goal of releasing a family of AI devices.
Apple’s glasses would have cameras, microphones and speakers, allowing them to analyse the external world and take requests via the Siri voice assistant.
They could also handle tasks such as phone calls, music playback, live translations and turn-by-turn directions. The approach would be similar to that of Meta’s current glasses and upcoming devices running Alphabet Inc’s Android XR operating system.
The glasses were originally dubbed N50 internally but now carry the umbrella descriptor N401 – the name of a broader project exploring the category. The company’s plans could always change, though, and it has canceled previous projects.
Apple’s ultimate goal is to release a pair of spectacles with augmented reality, which uses displays and other technology to superimpose digital content on views of the real world. But those remain years away.
A spokesperson for Cupertino, California-based Apple declined to comment according to Bloomberg.
