Apple is expediting its plans to compete with Meta’s popular Ray-Ban smart glasses. Bloomberg reports today that Apple is now aiming to release smart glasses “at the end of next year.” Simultaneously, the company has dropped its plans to release an Apple Watch with a built-in camera. Apple’s AI smart glasses coming next year The report says that Apple will “start producing large quantities of prototypes at the end of this year.” The glasses will reportedly have built-in cameras, microphones, and speakers so they can “analyze the external world and take requests via the Siri voice assistant.” Other features on the docket include support for taking phone calls, playing music, turn-by-turn directions, and live translation. “One person with knowledge of the glasses said they will be similar to the Meta product but better made,” the report says. The work is being spearheaded by Apple’s Vision Products Group, which spearheaded the work on Vision Pro as well. There are reportedly concerns inside Apple, however, that the company’s ongoing struggles in AI could hinder these smart glasses: People working on Apple’s smart glasses remain concerned that its AI failings may undermine the new product. The Meta Ray-Bans and upcoming glasses running the Android operating system benefit from the strength of Meta’s Llama and Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence platforms. Today, Apple uses Google Lens and OpenAI for analysis of the real world via the iPhone’s Visual Intelligence feature. The company will likely want to roll out its own technology for that with the upcoming hardware Bloomberg had previously reported that Apple was also developing future Apple Watch models with built-in cameras. That project, however, has reportedly been shelved as of this week. Work on AirPods with built-in cameras is still ongoing. Read the full report at Bloomberg. 9to5Mac’s Take I’m glad to see Apple expediting its work on these Meta-like smart glasses. It’s an industry that Apple realistically should have already entered, but shipping this product by 2026 is better than the previously-reported timeline of 2027. Like the Apple Watch, Apple’s smart galsses will also benefit from their deep integration with the iPhone and the broader Apple ecosystem. My favorite iPhone accessories: Follow Chance: Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, and Mastodon.  Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed.  FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel #report #apple #aiming #release #smart