Google announced that it will collaborate with Samsung Electronics and Gentle Monster to create smart glasses, while news has emerged that Apple may release its next-generation smart glasses by the end of next year. Meta, the number one player in the smart glasses market, is also developing new products in partnership with the eyewear brand Ray-Ban, leading to fierce competition among global big tech companies.
According to recent reports from Bloomberg News and IT media The Verge, Apple plans to unveil its first smart glasses by the end of next year. The smart glasses from Apple are expected to be equipped with a camera, microphone, and speaker, enabling external analysis. Additionally, they are said to be designed for users to issue voice commands through Apple's artificial intelligence (AI) assistant, Siri. Features may include phone calls, music playback controls, real-time translation, and navigation.
Bloomberg, citing sources, reported that Apple's smart glasses will be similar to Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses but will be "made more sophisticated."
This report came just three days after Google revealed its plans to develop smart glasses in collaboration with Samsung Electronics and Gentle Monster. On the 20th (local time), Google held its annual developer conference, I/O 2025, in Mountain View, California, and hinted at its re-entry into the smart glasses market. It has been about 10 years since Google Glass produced its first smart glasses, which were discontinued after being met with indifference from the market.
While the specific specifications of Apple's and Google's smart glasses have not yet been finalized, a key feature is the inclusion of AI assistants. Google's smart glasses also utilize its AI Geminai for navigation, translation, and communication functions with acquaintances. The prototype of the disclosed Google smart glasses has thick black frames, with a miniature camera attached at the upper right.
The industry expects meaningful market evaluations for smart glasses to emerge starting next year. Currently, Meta holds a dominant first place. According to Counterpoint Research, global shipments of smart glasses are expected to reach 3 million units in 2024, a 210% increase compared to the previous year. Of these, 60% are Meta products.
However, questions have been raised about the practicality of smart glasses. It is deemed challenging for them to establish themselves as devices following smartphones, as smartwatches have done. The industry has concluded that the new products must be lightweight and affordable to capture consumers' interest. Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, seems to have acknowledged this assessment, stating, "In the case of glasses, people think of them as fashion, so the technology should be designed to not be overly visible."
If the performance of the AI integrated into smart glasses falls below expectations, it may result in only a "passing trend." Concerns have been raised that the relatively inferior performance of Siri compared to competitors could hinder Apple's success. Recently, reports surfaced that Apple plans to completely rebuild Siri based on a large language model (LLM). Bloomberg News reported, "Meta's Ray-Ban and Google's smart glasses run on Llama and Geminai respectively, but the reality is that Apple's AI model performance is lagging significantly behind."