Apple’s Sight: Four New Smart Glass Prototypes Hit the Test Bench

Apple is getting serious about putting cameras on your face. New reports indicate that the tech giant is currently testing four different designs for its upcoming smart glasses. While we might not see the final product until 2027, the company could show them off as early as the end of this year. Mark Gurman from Bloomberg has been tracking this story closely, and his latest update gives us a clear look at what Apple has in the works. It seems Apple is moving away from bulky headsets and toward something you might actually wear in public.

The four designs under the microscope cover a wide range of styles. One is a large rectangular frame, while another is a slimmer version that looks a lot like the glasses Tim Cook wears every day. Apple is also looking at two rounded options, including a large oval frame and a smaller circular one. They are even playing around with colors like ocean blue and light brown alongside the standard black. By testing so many styles, Apple wants to make sure these glasses feel like a fashion choice rather than just a tech gadget.

In many ways, these glasses represent a pivot in strategy. Apple once had massive plans for a whole line of mixed and augmented reality devices. But after the Vision Pro struggled to find a big audience and faced several delays, the company is scaling back. Instead of trying to build a computer that sits on your eyes, they are making something much simpler. These new glasses won’t have displays at all. Instead, they will focus on capturing photos and videos, taking phone calls, and playing music. Apple is even designing special oval camera lenses to keep the frames looking thin and natural.

This approach puts Apple in direct competition with Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses. Meta found success by focusing on style and simple features rather than high-end optics. Apple plans to follow a similar path but with a secret weapon: a long-promised Siri upgrade. The goal is to make the glasses the primary way you interact with an AI assistant that actually works. You could ask your glasses to identify a landmark or send a text without ever touching your phone. It is a much more practical way to bring AI into the real world.

Building smart glasses is a huge technical challenge. You have to fit a battery, cameras, speakers, and a processor into a frame that doesn’t feel heavy or get too hot. Apple has spent years trying to get the balance right. By ditching the screens, they solve a lot of these problems at once. It allows for a better battery life and a design that looks like normal eyewear. If they can pull this off, they might finally convince regular people to start wearing computers on their faces.

The next year will be telling for Apple’s wearable future. As they narrow down these four designs, we will see if they lean toward a bold look or something more subtle. Apple knows that for these to succeed, they have to look good. No one wants to look like a cyborg while walking down the street. If the 2027 launch stays on track, your next pair of glasses might come from a tech company instead of an optometrist. It is a bold bet on a future where our devices are always on and always looking at the world with us.