Apple is preparing glasses to respond to Meta’s Ray-Ban. The problem is a wall called ‘privacy’

John Ternus is the new CEO of Apple and, although he will officially take office next September 1 coinciding with the presentation of the iPhone 18 Procomes to office with a task. On the one hand, the highly rumored foldable iPhone that we should see next to the iPhone 18 Pro and that it would have a very similar format to what was seen in the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8.

On the other hand, the new Apple glasses. We are not referring to a new version of the VisionProbut rather one more product to carry on a daily basis with which they will compete, directly, against the Ray-Ban by Meta. However, there is a major challenge with this product: privacy.

Because Meta’s glasses have been sailing seas of controversies with privacyuser recordings that They are not so private either the use that is made of this type of device, and if a company does not want to have anything to do with controversies, and even less related to privacy, that is Apple.

All of this is forcing them to think very hard. What strategy do you want to follow with these glasses? that can pay for the losses of another team: the AI ​​team. Let’s go with the story because it’s pretty cool.

Apple glasses and the privacy problem

A few months ago, our colleagues at Applesfera already said that reputable sources from both the sector in general and Apple in particular they pointed to a delay in the apple glasses. Mark Gurman, in Bloombergassures that the device was planned for sometime in 2026, but in the end it will end up arriving at the end of 2027 with a presentation at WWDC 2027.

That extra time will allow developers to create apps for a new type of wearable that aspires to be an Apple Watch, but in the form of glasses. It will also give more time for the company itself to deal with the privacy issue.

We have recently seen several controversies related to Meta glasses in this area and, although Meta has not responded to some of those controversies, yes he has taken measures patching user manipulation and preventing the glasses from recording if they detect that the LED that works as a ‘snitch’ when we record is altered.

According to Gurman, the glasses are codenamed ‘N50’ and Apple has put several of its teams to work (engineering and marketing among them) to refine not only the product, but the message around the privacy of the new device. It is, according to the Bloomberg journalist, Apple’s main priority for these glasses due to user concerns and the public and legal scrutiny in this regard.

Distrust has already led both states and private entities to prohibit them in some spaces (such as swimming pools, gyms or schools, for example) and, although cell phones capture images of higher resolution and quality, wearing a camera on glasses feels more stealthy, like a quieter capture device.

Apple knows that many eyes will be on this issue when it introduces the device, so it is working to emphasize not only the areas in which its glasses differ from the rest, but also why the user (and society itself) can trust it. The idea is that this device is a mix between AirPods and Apple Watch with access to Sirimusic playback, calls and information, and Gurman points out that a solution to the privacy issue would be to eliminate cameras or directly prevent the user from capturing content.

Smart glasses without a camera is not that strange. Xiaomi has some and there are brands with products like this that, precisely, rely on this improvement in privacy as a marketing weapon. Bloomberg claims that Apple would be proposing glasses without a camera, but also one with cameras and sensors, but that they would only be used for the AI ​​to see the world around the user and obtain information about objects and places that would later be transferred to the user through Siri.

There are two problems. The first is that, if privacy were not an issue and in an ideal world, glasses with a camera are extremely useful for recording family moments and creating hands-free content, so eliminating cameras would send those who want that to the competition. The second is that Gurman claims that Apple does not currently trust its AI enough for that to be the main selling point for a totally new product.

Obviously, It is a thorny and difficult issue to address. for an Apple that is about to enter a period of celebration (with the rumored 20th anniversary iPhone), but that has several hot potatoes as potential price increases (even more) due to RAM crisis and totally new products for them like these glasses or the foldable. Many possible crises to face if something goes wrong, so it is logical that they want to tread carefully.

In Xataka | With the Vision Pro, Apple created a product with revolutionary potential. He then abandoned him to his fate.