A screenless future: what to expect from Apple’s first smart glasses

The era of the phone as our main window into the digital world is beginning to shift. The next interface won’t live in our hands, but on our faces.

After the ambitious but niche launch of Vision Pro, Apple seems to have taken a practical lesson from the reaction. The future isn’t in bulky $3,500 headsets. It’s in something people can wear every day without thinking about it.

With development on the more affordable Vision Air reportedly paused, the company has regrouped and shifted its focus to a mass-market wearable designed to blend into everyday life.

Apple is expected to announce the product in late 2026, with a launch planned for 2027. As always, Apple’s strategy isn’t to be first—it’s to get it right.

This article outlines what we know so far from leaks and reports, and just as importantly, what won’t be present in the first generation.

The Big Surprise: why Apple’s first glasses won’t have displays

One of the most discussed leaks so far is that the first-generation Apple Glasses may ship without display projectors in the lenses. At first glance, that sounds like a step backward, but it reflects a practical and deliberate product strategy.

Apple isn’t trying to build a mini Vision Pro. It’s trying to solve the core problems that have undermined every previous attempt at smart glasses:

• Social acceptance: bulky glasses with obvious cameras or displays make others uncomfortable.
• Comfort: embedding projectors and batteries adds weight.
• Battery life: displays are the biggest power drain in wearable devices.

By removing the display, Apple can aggressively tackle these issues. The company is intentionally trading the “wow” factor for a lightweight, subtle, all-day wearable foundation. Displays, according to reports, may arrive in the second generation.

AI First, Everything Else Later

With no visual output, the glasses will function as an AI-first device. The experience will be driven not by visuals, but by voice and intelligence.

In other words, it’s Apple Intelligence in a wearable form, always with you.

Siri Gets Eyes

Interaction will be primarily voice-based, which will require a new generation of Siri—context-aware, conversational, and actually helpful. Cameras embedded in the frame (reportedly more than one) will act as Siri’s “eyes.”

Apple’s Visual Intelligence features (already in the iPhone) will help the system recognize and interpret the environment.

Example use cases:

• “What is that building?” or “What breed is that dog?”
• “Siri, remember where I parked,” or “Where did I leave my keys?”
• Reading signs and translating them instantly through built-in speakers or AirPods.
• “Show me how to fix this,” and Siri provides step-by-step guidance based on what you’re looking at.

The glasses will also support audio playback for music, podcasts, and audiobooks.

The iPhone Remains the Brains

The glasses will not be a standalone device. Nearly all computing will be handed off to a paired iPhone.

This decision provides three major advantages:

• Weight reduction: no need for a hot, heavy processor in the frame.
• Battery life: the onboard chip can be similar to an Apple Watch SoC.
• Cost: dramatically lower than Vision Pro.

Early pricing rumors suggest $600–$700, not $3,500.

More Than a Gadget

Apple is approaching the glasses not as a piece of technology, but as a fashion accessory, much like the Apple Watch. The company is expected to offer multiple frame shapes, materials, colors, and styles, allowing users to personalize the device to their own taste.

And as with the Apple Watch, the company is expected to lean into health features. Early reports suggest the glasses may include sensors for basic wellness tracking.

The Apple Watch evolved from a notification companion into an FDA-cleared health device. The glasses could follow a similar path, gradually adding sensors that shift them from “Siri on your face” to a medical tool in their own right.

A New Layer of Apple’s Ecosystem

The glasses will likely run a lightweight version of visionOS. Reports even suggest a dual-mode experience: a basic companion interface when paired with iPhone, and a fuller visionOS mode when connected to a Mac.

The “full” visionOS experience is expected in the second generation, once displays become viable without adding weight. Until then: audio-based assistance only.

The 2027 Question

Apple hasn’t been selling technology alone for a long time — it sells design and ease of use.

By focusing on a screenless AI wearable, the company aims to solve the key barriers that have held back smart glasses: weight, battery life, price, and social acceptance. The goal is to create something people would actually want to wear every day.

But will it work? That’s the real question. After years of the AI boom, Apple still hasn’t managed to make Siri meaningfully smarter, while competitors, particularly Google’s Gemini, have surged ahead.

The announcement is expected in 2026, with a launch planned for 2027.