$200 to $500. That's the price band Apple plans to target for its first mainstream smart glasses, according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman. Gurman says Apple will pitch a conventional eyewear product that pairs tightly with the iPhone and includes AI features, aiming for a consumer launch at the end of 2027. The move mirrors the strategy that built the Apple Watch business, turning everyday accessories into recurring revenue while avoiding the high-luxury tier.

Mass-market eyewear brands face a familiar challenge, because Apple is angling to sell its glasses in the $200 to $500 range and rely on iPhone integration and AI features to win buyers.

Playing the long game, not the fashion game

Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman reports Apple plans to position the product as mainstream eyewear rather than a high-fashion accessory. That means multiple frame styles, distinct colours and hardware that looks like everyday spectacles, not a wearable you reserve for special occasions. Sources say camera modules are likely to sit in oval-shaped housings on the frames, a detail that fits the company’s focus on discreet design.

Apple intends to sell the glasses in the $200 to $500 band and expects its brand, industrial design and seamless iPhone pairing to persuade people who are replacing regular prescription or fashion glasses to choose Apple. The company sees the product as an extension of its two-billion-device ecosystem, combining hardware with software features marketed as AI tools to help people interact with their surroundings.

That is a clear echo of how Apple approached wristwear. The Apple Watch now generates an estimated US$17 billion a year in revenue, and the company drove volume by offering a wearable for daily use rather than a jewellery statement. Apple expects a similar pattern could play out in eyewear, taking share from mid-tier makers rather than aiming to unseat couture brands.

Gurman says the project has an internal codename and a shifting timetable. Apple originally aimed to debut the glasses in late 2026 with shipping in early 2027, but those plans were delayed and the company is now targeting a consumer launch at the end of 2027.

Reporting has also noted an internal discussion about a second version without augmented reality capability that circulated for the 2026-2027 timeframe.

Mastheads

The commercial prize is substantial. The global eyewear market is variously estimated at about US$180 billion to US$200 billion a year, far larger than the smartwatch segment. Apple’s play isn't to dominate haute couture eyewear. The aim is to capture repeat-purchase sales where hundreds of millions of pairs change hands annually, a market more amenable to the mid-tier pricing Apple plans.

Apple’s expectations are informed by what happened after the Apple Watch arrived. Reports show mid-tier watchmakers suffered steep declines: Swatch’s revenue was roughly 28 percent lower in 2025 than in 2014, and Fossil’s sales fell about 70 percent over a similar span. Apple believes it can replicate that dynamic in glasses by offering a product that's attractive enough to replace ordinary frames and tightly integrated with its services and devices.

Competition is already active. Meta sold more than seven million pairs of Ray-Ban smart glasses in 2025 and reportedly commands roughly 82 percent of the current smart-glasses market, a head start built on Android compatibility and retail partnerships.

Analysts point out Apple’s long refusal to support Android will leave part of the market open to Android-friendly manufacturers. At the same time, growing consumer interest in smart eyewear may expand the whole category, lifting demand across brands.

Apple plans to undercut the luxury tier and avoid the high-price experiment after limited success with very expensive watch models. Reporters say the company expects industrial design and seamless iPhone pairing to be the principal purchase drivers, with AI features pitched as differentiators that justify choosing Apple over incumbents such as Ray-Ban and Warby Parker in the $200 to $500 segment.

The device roadmap, as described in reporting, signals a staged strategy. Start with a familiar, wearable form factor with smart features that fit daily life. Over time, Apple envisions the glasses evolving into a health device and eventually incorporating augmented reality, but the initial emphasis is on conventional eyewear with added smarts rather than a full AR headset.

That approach plays to Apple’s strengths. The company can combine industrial design, retail reach and the iPhone pairing experience to convert existing buyers who routinely replace prescription or fashion glasses. The two-billion-device ecosystem is a core advantage: once glasses join that system, software updates, health features and services become vectors for recurring revenue, much as the Watch did for wristwear.

For eyewear incumbents the threat is concrete but selective. Luxury houses that sell one-off designer frames will likely be less affected.

The biggest pressure will fall on brands that live in the mid-market and rely on frequent replacements. Apple’s aim is to capture that slice, not to overturn the entire luxury segment.

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Apple is aiming for a consumer launch at the end of 2027. That date will be the first real test of whether mid-market buyers swap ordinary frames for iPhone-integrated smart glasses. Reporting by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

This article was created with AI assistance.