4 Things To Know About Apple Glasses

InnovationAI4 Things To Know About Apple GlassesByJohn Werner,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I am an MIT Senior Fellow & Lecturer, 5x-founder & VC investing in AIFollow AuthorApr 21, 2026, 10:54am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.AppleGetty ImagesTo some, it may seem overdue. After all, the idea of AR/AV wearables has been in the air for years now. What it looks like, though, is that Apple is now poised to introduce its own line of smart glasses, to compete with Meta’s famous Ray-Bans that pioneer this kind of hands-free tech.However, there are some big differences between the two designs. That plays into a list I put together of early information on Apple’s design plans. So let’s start with the big one: whether to make smart glasses “active,” like Meta did, or “passive,” as Apple is apparently planning to.The AccessoryImportantly, Apple glasses are reportedly going to function as virtual appendages of the iPhone. Kind of like the Apple watch. They’ll be “tethered” to the phone through Bluetooth. Apple clarifies that the glasses themselves “won’t be a computing device” – instead, they’ll take the data from the iPhone and its cellular/wifi connection, and present it to the user. But they will offer a hands-free experience, which, as I often comment, is long overdue.The decision to use the iPhone as the engine may turn out to be a good one. Because that’s what’s important in introducing the glasses in the first place. They don’t need to “do” things in terms of running apps or having an operating system, memory, or data I/O (excepting the iPhone connection.) They’re visual devices, like a monitor or a smart TV.So think about how this affects the market and the way that our wearable engineering will progress. It’s also a “moat” for Apple, since Meta doesn’t make phones.MORE FOR YOUNew Frame MaterialsThe news is that the Appl...