Apple's N50 smart glasses may be delayed due to privacy concerns.

Apple is developing smart glasses codenamed 'N50.' Originally, they aimed to announce them by 2026, but delays are believed to have occurred due to the need to address privacy concerns arising from camera-equipped AI smart glasses.

Apple Glasses May Debut at WWDC 2027: Privacy, Camera Features Versus Meta - Bloomberg

This development plan, along with AI pendants and AirPods with built-in cameras, is reportedly still in progress.

The smart glasses were given the internal codename 'N50,' and the company initially aimed to announce them sometime in 2026.

However, as Meta's smart glasses have been gaining traction, concerns have been growing about the potential for surreptitious filming and prank videos, and Instagram has made it clear that it will remove any content that crosses the line.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who is well-versed in Apple news, cites one reason for the delay in the N50's schedule as 'Apple's engineering and marketing teams have been working not only on the product itself, but also on refining Apple's privacy message.'

While acknowledging Meta's achievement as the first commercially successful smart glasses, Gurman pointed out that privacy issues have become a hindrance.

Furthermore, they stated that they have received information from Apple officials that 'privacy is a top priority' and that 'they are prototyping numerous new hardware and software-related privacy features that are not yet included in current products.'

However, given that the lost item tracker 'AirTag,' released in 2021, was misused for purposes other than its intended use, such as stalking, it is likely that similar unforeseen problems will arise and require several years to address.