Sources: Apple delays iPhone-connected smart glasses to late 2027, aiming to disrupt the mid-tier $200-$500 eyewear market the way it disrupted the watch market
Also: The latest on iOS 27, iOS 28, new Apple TV and HomePod mini. — Apple isn't just going after Meta with its upcoming iPhone-connected smart glasses.
BloombergMark Gurman
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple’s glasses roadmap has shifted: related coverage placed an iPhone-connected model at the end of 2026, while earlier planning pointed to Ray-Ban-like glasses in 2027 alongside headset and camera-equipped AirPods efforts.
The stated target is broader than competing with Meta alone: Apple is positioning the product for the $200–$500 eyewear segment, extending its device strategy beyond higher-priced headsets.
First-order effects
Apple’s planned iPhone-connected glasses move to late 2027, giving the company more time but postponing its direct entry into the mid-tier smart-eyewear category.
Meta remains the named incumbent competitor in smart glasses for longer without an announced Apple product in that price band.
Second-order effects
The delay widens the window for Meta and other eyewear players to establish product expectations, retail relationships, and user habits before Apple arrives.
Apple’s eventual product must justify its place as an iPhone companion in a market whose $200–$500 price points imply tighter hardware-cost and feature trade-offs than a premium headset.
Third-order effects
If Apple follows through, smart glasses could develop as a mass-market companion-device category rather than remaining primarily an immersive-headset market; the delay shows that timing and price discipline remain unresolved.
Competition may increasingly turn on ecosystem integration—especially the value of a paired smartphone—rather than hardware novelty alone, though Apple’s final product and capabilities are not yet public.
The trend: The story is one data point in the shift from costly standalone spatial-computing devices toward lighter, phone-connected wearables aimed at mainstream price bands.
Also in Power On: The new Apple TV and HomePod mini hardware is ready to go and just waiting on the new Siri. Don't expect major hardware changes other than processor bumps to support AI features, while the Apple TV may get an updated remote. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Also in Power On: Early work on iOS 28 and macOS 28 has kicked off. iOS 28 is codenamed Bell, while macOS 28 is Poppy. The duo is referred to inside Apple as “Boppy.” For comparison, iOS 27 is Rave, macOS 27 is Fizz (Rizz). https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Also in Power On: Apple's iOS 27 Siri app will sync chats across devices like iCloud, operating similarly to the ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini apps. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Power On: Apple, with its smart glasses launching at the end of 2027, isn't just going after Meta. It's aiming to disrupt the entire eyewear industry like its Apple Watch upended the mechanical watch market. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Mid-tier glasses like EssilorLuxottica (Ray-Ban, Oakley, Persol, Oliver Peoples), Safilo (Tommy Hilfiger, Hugo Boss) and Warby Parker could be impacted. High-end (Cartier, Matsuda, Dita, Jacques Marie Mage, Maison Bonnet) will be fine like the Watch didn't hurt Rolex, Patek, AP.