Apple (AAPL, Financials), the consumer technology company known for the iPhone, Mac and wearable devices, is making privacy a central part of its smart glasses strategy as it prepares to enter the emerging market.
The company delayed the product partly to refine both the device and its privacy policies, according to a Bloomberg News report cited by Seeking Alpha. Apple is now targeting an unveiling at its Worldwide Developers Conference next June, followed by a consumer launch by the end of 2027.
Potential safeguards include greater use of on-device artificial intelligence, no facial recognition, limits on continuous environmental analysis and restrictions on using customer recordings to train AI models.
Apple is also testing additional hardware and software protections as camera-equipped wearables face scrutiny in schools, hospitals, courts and other public settings.
The company has explored versions without cameras or designs that would use cameras for AI functions without allowing photo or video recording. Those options may be less appealing because hands-free image capture is a key feature of smart glasses.
Apple's approach could help differentiate the product from Meta Platforms' Ray-Ban smart glasses, which have drawn privacy concerns.
Investors will now watch for product details, regulatory reactions and signs that Apple can turn privacy into a competitive advantage.