Apple's Augmented Reality Glasses Again Rumored for 2021 Launch

Apple's rumored augmented reality glasses will launch in 2021, with "small-volume" production expected to start in the first half of the year, according to paywalled information shared by DigiTimes.

Apple Glass

Apple to roll out AR glasses in 2021

Apple is expected to roll out its augmented reality glasses in 2021, according to sources at related suppliers, which are gearing up to kick off small-volume production for the device in the first half of the year.

The full report will not be published until tomorrow and the brief excerpt offers no further information, but it comes on the heels of an extensive report earlier this week from Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser detailing what he has heard about the glasses.

Prosser says the glasses will be called "Apple Glass" and start at $499, with prescription lenses available for an additional cost. In line with previous rumors, he says Apple Glass will rely on a paired iPhone for most of its functionality, allowing the glasses themselves to be as slim and light as possible.

According to Prosser's sources, Apple's original plans involved unveiling Apple Glass at the annual ‌iPhone‌ event in September or October, but restrictions on in-person gatherings could push the debut back to a March 2021 event. Either way, Apple was said to be targeting a late 2021 or early 2022 launch, which lines up with today's report from DigiTimes.

Related Roundup: Apple Vision Pro
Buyer's Guide: Vision Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum: Apple Vision Pro

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Shows Off a Key Reason to Upgrade to the iPhone 17

Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie. "Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says These 7 U.S. States Plan to Offer iPhone Driver's Licenses

Monday February 9, 2026 6:24 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future. To set up the...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

New MacBook Pros Could Now Arrive in March

Sunday February 8, 2026 6:02 am PST by
New MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips could arrive as soon as Monday, March 2, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In today's "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that the release of new MacBook Pro models is tied to the release of macOS Tahoe 26.3. The launch is said to be slated for as early as the week of March 2. He added that the M4 Pro and M4 Max models on sale today...

Top Rated Comments

yaxomoxay Avatar
75 months ago
"Hey Siri, show everyone's names."
"Showing everyone naked."
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AngerDanger Avatar
75 months ago

What exactly will these glasses "augment"? I don't understand the selling point here at all.
Me neither, but seeing as how the product hasn't even been released yet, that's expected.

We're currently at the "Why would Apple release an MP3 player? Those are terrible and clunky" point of product speculation, but we lack the benefit of hindsight.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
krazzix Avatar
75 months ago
For anyone not able to understand how AR glasses are going to benefit you, these are some thing I (and others) came up with that would actually be useful for me:


* Having a recipe floating in front of you while cooking, leaving your hands free
* Having your grocery shopping list in front of you, leaving your hands free
* Navigation like you're in a video game
* Project a screen anywhere and watch a movie
* Project a screen anywhere and play a video game (with a controller probably)
* Project a screen anywhere and do cloud computing (Full MacOS experience) if you bring your mouse and keyboard
* Browse and listen to music (i.c.w. AirPods, doubt glasses will have speakers)
* Enhanced family board games, D&D, we've seen this stuff before with AR kit, but way more convenient and cool with glasses instead holding an iPad/iPhone
* Browsing the web anywhere, anytime, handsfree, no need to pull out your phone
* Reading books handsfree
* Decorate your house (or anything anywhere) digitally
* Automatic translation when someone speaks to you in another language
* Magnify/increase contrast/provide light for hard to read things
* Identify trees/flowers/animals etc.
* Glasses + Airtags. Getting on-screen markers for that thing you are looking for.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ultramove69 Avatar
75 months ago
I want this in a monocle
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AyeKay15 Avatar
75 months ago
Will this turn me into Samus Aran so I can fight the coronavirus?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
yaxomoxay Avatar
75 months ago

What exactly will these glasses "augment"? I don't understand the selling point here at all.
Who knows. It certainly makes us closer into making some Black Mirror episodes a reality.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)