Apple AI Glasses Will Rival Meta's With Several Styles, Oval Cameras (bloomberg.com)
- Reference: 0181689138
- News link: https://apple.slashdot.org/story/26/04/13/215252/apple-ai-glasses-will-rival-metas-with-several-styles-oval-cameras
- Source link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-04-12/apple-ai-smart-glasses-features-styles-colors-cameras-giannandrea-leaving-mnvtz4yg
> Like Meta's offering, Apple's glasses will be designed to handle everyday uses: capturing photos and videos, syncing with a smartphone for editing and sharing, handling phone calls, listening to notifications, playing music, and enabling hands-free interaction via a voice assistant. In Apple's case, that assistant will be a significantly upgraded Siri coming in iOS 27. The glasses are part of a broader, three-pronged AI wearables strategy that also includes new AirPods and a camera-equipped pendant. Each device is designed to leverage computer vision to interpret the user's surroundings and feed contextual awareness into Siri and Apple Intelligence. That will enable features like improved turn-by-turn map directions and visual reminders.
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> When Apple typically enters a new product category, it offers clear advantages over what's currently available. We saw this with the original iPod, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch -- and, even though it was a flop, the Vision Pro. That approach won't be as obvious with Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone, but we should see it on full display with the glasses. According to employees working on the project, Apple's strategy is to outdo competitors by tightly integrating the glasses with the iPhone and offering a higher-end build. While Meta relies heavily on partner EssilorLuxottica SA for frames, Apple is unsurprisingly planning to go at it alone in terms of design. That also should set it apart from Alphabet Inc.'s Google and Samsung Electronics Co., which are leaning on Warby Parker.
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> Apple's design team has whipped up at least four different styles and plans to launch some or all of them, I'm told, as well as many color options. The latest units are made from a high-end material called acetate, which is known to be more durable and luxurious than the standard plastic used by many brands. Here are the designs in testing:
> - A large rectangular frame, reminiscent of Ray-Ban Wayfarers
> - A slimmer rectangular design, similar to the glasses worn by Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook
> - Larger oval or circular frames
> - A smaller, more refined oval or circular option
[1] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-04-12/apple-ai-smart-glasses-features-styles-colors-cameras-giannandrea-leaving-mnvtz4yg
What are SmartGlasses for? (Score:3)
It says 'display-less' so it's not AR...which I thought was the whole point.
From what I've people describe the uses as being the same as airpods with the addition of taking video/pictures.
Why use the 'glasses' form-factor when you're not using your eyeballs for any of the interaction?
Is that it? Is it just a convenient place to hang a camera? Also, are people expected to get prescription lenses for these things...or are normally sighted people now walking about with glasses on....just because?
I keep wondering if it's the 'stealth' factor. Are they 'spy' glasses and made to look completely normal? Did someone decide that Google Glass was 'too obvious' and people would know you're walking around with a camera on your head? So they have to make a camera that (most) people wouldn't recognize? That seems a bit illegal. ;)
(one guy said, "we're not allowed to have airpods at work, so I use these instead." (that's totally going to backfire, and your boss won't be amused.))
Re: (Score:2)
Also, you can probably take them into theme parks and film things that they don't want you filming. But since there's always at least a few people who already had the same idea and uploaded it to YouTube, there's no point unless recording it yourself is just something on your bucket list.
Re: (Score:2)
Why is there even a camera? I know what Google Lens is, I've used it all of like 8 times in my life so far, and getting out to use it from my phone has been fine. I don't need a camera hanging from my face 24/7, I don't even know what I'd do with it.
Re: (Score:2)
"I don't need a camera hanging from my face 24/7" True, you don't! The camera and everything being sent back to data warehouse central is not to benefit you!
Re: (Score:2)
I think the idea is not just to have cameras for normal camera things like taking photos/videos, but to generally have more sensors on you so the AI can get a continuous read of what you're doing in order to respond and act in context. Like you could already wear headphones and have voice AI in your ear but it doesn't know your situation beyond maybe general location and whatever it can pick up with mics.
I can imagine being able to point at things to refer to them or asking "which one of these is best" type
This does not bode well... (Score:2)
Apple AI Glasses Will Rival Meta's...
So, they'll be an abject failure.
reasonable expectation of privacy (Score:2)
When I go out into public, I, personally, feel that I have no reasonable expectation of privacy.
However, I do believe that other people, and maybe *most* other people, absolutely *do* feel that they have a reasonable expectation of privacy, excepting locations that have security cameras.
So, while I don't care of others wear their AppleGlass or GoogleGlass or MetaGlass whatever, and have their AI's run facial recognition on me, and feed the wearer my stats into their airpods as they approach me, I understand
Re: (Score:2)
If it was just individuals capturing these data for themselves that would be one thing, a minor privacy issue similar to someone pulling their phone out and taking a picture of you without asking. But it'll be millions of these devices everywhere and all their data will be collected by a few companies.
Today with some effort I can mostly avoid being tracked by Google, the world's largest ad network, by careful internet behaviour but how will I be able to do that when every other pair of glasses is feeding th
display-free? (Score:2)
It's not going to have any clear advantages if it's display-free. Snap had that in 2016 and Meta in 2021. If they want a clear advantage, give us something that doesn't already exist.
Re: (Score:2)
It will have an Apple logo.
Acetate (Score:5, Funny)
Uh, plastic was literally invented to replace cellulose acetate, which has issue like UV degradation, brittling, and scratch susceptibility. You're going to wear these glasses in the sunlight, right? Make sure to put sunblock on your glasses so it doesn't turn into vinegar.
Re: (Score:2)
It's probably not your grandfather's acetate. Of course, the disingenuous thing about calling it acetate is that by the time they're done doing all of the modern chemistry on the cellulose base material, the end product essentially is plastic.
There's this NileRed video on YouTube where he makes "plastic glove soda". Same idea, basically.