Why smartglasses will never have a smartwatch moment, no matter what Apple says

With its long-rumored smartglasses project, now delayed until late 2027, Apple apparently wants to “disrupt the entire eyewear industry like its Apple Watch upended the mechanical watch industry.”

This is according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who is well-connected in the industry and regularly breaks Apple news. It means he’s worth taking seriously, and his words are likely representative of Apple’s internal thoughts and efforts.

While it’s natural to use the Apple Watch as a comparison to smartglasses, in reality, it’s not the same thing at all, and Apple — along with Google and Samsung — are setting themselves up for failure if they treat them as such.

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Posts By  Andy Boxall

What has the Apple Watch done?

Changed what we wear on our wrists

There’s an often-quoted statistic that the Apple Watch has outsold the entire Swiss watch industry, all on its own. It’s mind-boggling, and evidence Apple nailed not only the functionality but also the design of the Apple Watch right from the start.

It forced global watchmakers to evolve. Initially, some looked at joining the smartwatch industry, but eventually realized this wasn’t the right course of action.

Instead, the industry pushed further into luxury, lifestyle, heritage, and individuality to sell non-smart watches.

It’s this industry-changing effect Gurman, and presumably Apple, is referencing when talking about disrupting eyewear, and not just smart eyewear either.

It sounds like Apple wants to make its smartglasses the default option, just like the Apple Watch has become ubiquitous no matter the environment, person, or their socio-economic background.

An industry ripe for disruption

Eyewear isn’t so needy

When the Apple Watch came out, watches were already in a slump.

Few had a reason to wear one because phones told the time, and the recognizable names weren’t as desirable as they are today. At least, not to the people clamoring to buy an Apple Watch when it was released in 2015.

It meant there were a lot of wrists just waiting for a connected watch. It combined the slowly cooling craze of fitness bands with growing social media trends, more reliance on notifications, and features like playing music from our phones.

Gone was any association between watches and stuffy, wealthy old men, and in came wrist wear with instant iPhone cool.

Today, the best smartwatches come in more than one case size, have 24-hour comfort, interchangeable bands, genuinely useful functionality, and a host of attractive watch faces.

Anyone can wear one; it doesn’t have to be on show, and practically everybody will have had some experience wearing a watch, meaning they’re prepared for the look and feel.

Eyewear isn’t the same

And it’s not even close

The eyewear industry isn’t in the same place as the watch industry.

Visit any optician, and the choice of frames is overwhelming. You can pay very little, or absolutely loads for a frame, something that applies to sunglasses and normal glasses, and I don’t think you’d be able to sample all the styles available even if you spent weeks trying.

If you’re looking for normal glasses, it’s probably because you need them to see. Prescription lenses are equally varied, and there’s a considerable difference between cheap and expensive ones.

Every prescription is different, and it needs an expert to tailor it to your requirements.

If you don’t need glasses to see, I’ll bet you’ve never set foot in an optician and have bought sunglasses from Sunglasses Hut or somewhere similar.

If you can see without corrective lenses, why would you choose to wear glasses?

If you need to wear glasses, they become part of your personal style. The world sees you in them, probably all the time, so getting the style and fit right is imperative.

Comfort is just as important, and even experienced glasses-wearers can get it wrong once in a while.

For my last prescription change, I chose a different style of glasses. It turned out that while I liked the look, I couldn’t deal with the way they fit on my face. The lenses were also “wrong” for me.

I put up with it for a few months before caving in and completely changing the whole deal.

Choosing glasses with corrective lenses is a lengthy, decision-filled, and expensive process. I don’t want to do it more than I have to.

Wearing glasses is something I’m used to, but I also wouldn’t do it if I didn’t have to. It’s the same reason anyone who can wear contact lenses does so.

Wearing a watch isn’t like wearing glasses

And neither are the buyers

Do you see where I’m going? I don’t know how Apple, even with its vast resources and retail stores, will be able to convince the number of people who eagerly adopted the Apple Watch to do the same with eyewear.

The eyewear industry is thriving. There are thousands of options at all price points. The product needs specialist advice, and weight, style, and fit are considerably more important than with a watch.

It’s not waiting to be disrupted, because glasses are more than numbers on a prescription, getting fit and comfort right can’t be done with a virtual try-on app, and a handful of styles are not enough.

However, the biggest problem, by a long way, is that people voluntarily wear a watch. With eyewear, there’s a split between those who have to wear eyewear to see, and those who don’t.

Convincing either of those groups to choose Apple, Google, or Samsung smartglasses is a totally different situation than suggesting they try wearing a watch again.

If you don’t wear glasses to see, ask yourself if you want to put glasses on every day?

If you wear glasses, how likely are you to choose a pair that has a battery to charge, distractions built in, limited designs and lens options, and that you’ll still have to update regularly when your prescription changes?

Gurman says Apple will “use design to stand out, with oval-shaped cameras, unique colors and multiple frame styles.”

This isn’t enough to disrupt the eyewear industry, even before trying to convince those free from twisted metal and two windows on their faces to give them a try.

Compelling functionality is needed

AI isn’t the answer

A smartwatch can be a very useful addition to your mobile life. It’s convenient, incognito, and doesn’t need much attention.

Functionality, particularly around health, has become a true reason to buy one and wear it all the time.

Smartglasses can’t just be a smartwatch in front of your eyes, because why would anyone choose them over a smartwatch?

This is why we’re seeing Meta, Google, and likely Apple lean into AI for smart glasses. Not only as a reason for us to buy them, but also to justify their massive investments.

Here’s the hard truth. For most people, AI just isn’t so essential that they need it in front of their eyes all the time. It’s moderately useful at best, and completely pointless at worst.

There are only so many times you need translation or visual search capabilities. If you really must ask AI a question, you can use your phone, smartwatch, laptop, dedicated AI gadget, or the AI companion worn around your neck.

Constant access to an AI assistant, and all its (many) ways of summarizing and organizing, won’t be enough to sell smartglasses.

It’s not even compelling enough to sell phones, and because it’s Apple Intelligence and not Google Gemini we’re likely talking about, things get even harder for the marketing team.

Then there’s the inevitable cameras. Used responsibly, they’re fun and engaging, but not a reason to buy smartglasses.

Used irresponsibly, they’re a menace, and the negative attention that already surrounds the technology isn’t going to go away. That’s before the implications of letting any corporation potentially “see” what you’re seeing all the time.

That’s it for smartglasses?

No, but mainstream adoption seems impossible

I like smartglasses. They’re a fascinating and a really exciting segment of wearable technology. I wear glasses all the time to see, so they fit into my life without much adjustment.

However, the choice of looks, fits, and frames is woeful. Choosing one is a compromise in style and comfort, all for limited usefulness.

I’m likely the person who would need the least amount of convincing to give smartglasses a try, but I would never give up my non-smart glasses to wear them full-time.

Smartglasses are a fun, but niche gadget. I am really looking forward to Google and Samsung’s smart glasses, and Apple’s too. Plus, there’s still time for the hardware, battery tech, and features available to be improved before Apple releases its models, so things may change.

However, if any of those brands think smartglasses will not only disrupt the eyewear industry but also break into the mainstream, I think they’re fooling themselves.