Apple's first smart glasses

Apple has had its eye on making smart glasses for years. While the original plans were more ambitious, the latest play is to make smart glasses without a display that will compete with Meta’s surprisingly popular devices.

While Apple is late to the smart glasses party, it plans to make its version better than the competition.

So typical.

This has been Apple’s (highly successful) modus operandi for years:

Wait for other companies to produce a new type of product.
Learn from the competitors’ mistakes (as well as their successes).
Swoop in and win with a product that’s just plain superior.

It worked with MP3 players, smart watches, wireless earbuds and, of course, smartphones. And when it comes to smart glasses, Apple appears ready to rely on two familiar factors to make its product stand out from the crowd — high-end design and deep integration with the iPhone.

Find out what to expect from Apple’s first smart glasses, which we could see by the end of the year.

Also in today’s newsletter:

The first folding iPhone is another product that will follow Apple’s usual playbook — not first, but best. One of the biggest problems for the rumored device is eliminating the screen creases that mar competing devices. Here’s how Apple might pull it off.
Fresh sales offer big price cuts on AirPods Pro 3 as well as a variety of Apple cases for the iPhone 17 lineup.
When the MacBook Neo 2 arrives, it should come with 50% more RAM. (On the latest episode of the Cult of Mac podcast, we pondered the question: Is the MacBook Neo too successful for its own good?)
🔥 DEAL OF THE DAY: Belkin's dead-simple budget power bank doesn’t have MagSafe, but it does come with a built-in USB-C cable. We loved it when we reviewed it, and now it’s on sale for just $21.99. #affiliate
Did you know you can swap out the flashlight and camera icons on your iPhone’s Lock Screen? You can — and it can be a pretty powerful tweak.

— Lewis Wallace, managing editor

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Apple smart glasses could stand out in more ways than one

Apple reportedly tests multiple smart glasses designs, with a strong focus on premium materials and varied styles.

How Apple's folding iPhone will crack the crease problem

It comes down to two materials in the screen, according to a new report.

Is MacBook Neo too successful for its own good? [Cult of Mac podcast No. 15]

This week on the "Cult of Mac" podcast: The MacBook Neo looks like a runaway success. But the clever use of binned chips might bite Apple.

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Grab AirPods Pro 3 for just $199.99 before this deal disappears again

Apple's high-end, noise-canceling earbuds already provide incredible value, and this AirPods Pro 3 deal makes them way more affordable.

Plus: Save on Apple’s Silicone, Clear and TechWoven cases for iPhone 17 lineup

Swap your iPhone's standard Lock Screen buttons for something more useful

You can change out your iPhone Lock Screen buttons from the standard flashlight and camera to just about anything you want.

Why Apple pulled high-end Mac mini and Mac Studio models from sale

You can no longer order high-end Mac mini and Mac Studio models from Apple, with the configurations listed as “currently unavailable.”

Apple takes the crown as iPhone 17 surges ahead globally

Apple leads the world in smartphone shipments for Q1 2026 as iPhone performance beats out all competitors.

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Fix your home's Wi-Fi dead zones for just $28

Eliminate Wi-Fi dead zones and boost coverage up to 2,500 square feet with the Linksys RE7000, a plug-in Wi-Fi range booster.

Why MacBook Neo 2 will boast 50% more RAM

Love Apple's affordable new MacBook Neo but really think you want more RAM? Have we got good news for you!

Today in Apple history: Early iPad rumor gets Apple fans buzzing

On April 13, 2005, a sketchy early rumor suggested Apple was building a tablet computer. This first iPad rumor got the tech world buzzing.

Cult of Mac’s buyback program

We pay top dollar for used Apple gear

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One more thing ...

❝

If you look at sort of the process of the technological revolution that we're all in, it's a process of taking very centralized things and making them very democratic, if you will, very individualized, making them affordable by individuals for a small collection of tasks.

— Steve Jobs, 1981.

Today’s poll

Are you interested in smart glasses?

Results from Friday’s poll: Be honest: Did you know you could do all those things in CarPlay?

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