Apple Accelerates AI Smart Glasses Development, Acquires AI Startup for $2 Billion in Push to Rival Meta Ray-Bans

Feb 23, 2026
9to5Mac
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Summary

Apple accelerates its AI smart glasses development, acquiring AI startup Q.ai for $2 billion to enable silent voice input and facial movement recognition, as it races to challenge Meta Ray-Bans with a premium, self-contained device featuring dual cameras — all potentially launching within the next year.

Key Points

  • Apple is accelerating development of AI smart glasses featuring dual cameras — one for computer vision and one for photos and videos — with all components embedded directly in the frame, eliminating the need for an external battery.
  • Apple has acquired AI startup Q.ai for $2 billion, a company specializing in machine learning for silent voice input and micro facial movement interpretation, potentially allowing users to communicate with Siri without speaking aloud.
  • While no concrete release date is confirmed, Apple's AI glasses are expected to launch within the next year, positioning them as a premium competitor to Meta Ray-Bans with potentially superior speech recognition technology.

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