Apple Delays Smart Glasses Launch Over Privacy Issues, Report Says

Privacy Concerns

Many people have expressed concerns that smart glasses, such as Meta’s Ray-Bans, are being used to secretly record them in public places like restaurants, beaches, gyms and on the street. Meta has an LED light that turns on to indicate when recording is active, but some wearers are finding ways to remove it without disabling the recording function. Meta said on a FAQ page about the glasses that it would deactivate cameras if wearers try to remove or block the light. But the light can be hard to see on a sunny day, and technical fixes don’t address when and where recording should be allowed.

Samsung also said it would address privacy concerns with the smart glasses it is developing in partnership with eyewear brands Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. Smart glasses are now prohibited in all New York State court buildings and some courts in California and Wisconsin. They are banned at some comic conventions and in restrooms and casinos on Royal Caribbean Cruises. Instagram said it will remove content and possibly ban accounts that use video taken with smart glasses.

Privacy Is Paramount

In light of privacy concerns raised by smart glasses, Apple’s engineers and designers in the Vision hardware group are prioritizing privacy as they develop the product, Gurman said. Apple is unlikely to include facial recognition in its smart glasses, Gurman said, and the glasses will also perform their AI processing on the device itself rather than sending the data back to Apple servers.

To alleviate fears about unwanted recording among Apple consumers, Gurman said it’s likely Apple will incorporate hardware that indicates when the device is recording, similar to what Meta has done with its Ray-Bans.

Pushing back the smart glasses launch shouldn’t be problematic for Apple, tech analyst Paolo Pescatore told CNET. “The Apple Watch showed how (successfully) the company can introduce a complementary product, pair it closely with the iPhone and gradually turn it into an essential part of the wider Apple experience,” Pescatore said. “Smart glasses could follow a similar path, but the pressure is building for Apple to show it has a credible (solution to the privacy issue).”

What We Know About Apple’s Smart Glasses

The devices, which Gurman said are code-named "N50", could come with several frame styles:

• Large rectangular
• Slimmer rectangular
• Large oval or circular
• Small oval or circular

The glasses will also be equipped with an AI-powered Siri assistant, which the wearer can use to make calls, send text messages and play music. The battery charge is expected to last all day, Gurman said. Using the glasses’ cameras, Siri can also analyze the wearer’s surroundings and use AI to deliver information. For instance, the wearer could receive directions as they’re walking around a city on vacation, or ask Siri to identify a building or type of bird.

No camera? Gurman said the company has considered ditching the camera altogether to eliminate the suspicion of illicit recording and has even developed a prototype of that model. There’s also been discussion of keeping the camera but not allowing it to take photos or videos. The glasses would still use the camera to inform Siri for AI-enabled tasks and information, similar to how the company is currently developing its new AI camera-equipped AirPods. Gurman said that scenario is unlikely, however, because one of the main consumer uses of smart glasses is to record video and images of friends and family or vacation sights.