Apple’s rumored smart glasses could have modular components

Apple’s rumored smart glasses (rumored to be called “Apple Glasses”) could have modular components, according to a new patent filing

About ‘Apple Glasses’

In an X post, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple will release its own “smart glasses” in 2027. These will have a design more like traditional eyewear than the Apple Vision Pro.

Kuo says Apple will ship 3-5 million units or more of the device. He says core features will include audio playback, camera, video recording, and AI environmental sensing. Kue also thinks that Apple will offer multiple material options for frames and temples, with Apple actively testing 3D printing technology for production.

About the patent filing

In the patent filing Apple says that various components of head-mountable electronic devices, such as display screens, viewing frames, securement arms, speakers, batteries, waveguides, and other components, operate together to provide an immersive and comfortable experience. These devices can demand power for operation from power sources such as batteries. 

Due to a limited lifespan, batteries sometimes need to be accessed and/or replaced. Batteries for head-mountable electronic devices such as smart glasses can be positioned in the securing arms that connect the head-mountable electronic device to a user’s head. 

However, the accessibility of the batteries in these securing arms is often in tension with the design of the securing arms, limiting the replace-ability of the batteries. Apple says smart glasses with modular features could alleviate such problems. 

Summary of the patent filing

Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent filing: “A wearable display device can include, a display frame, a securement arm, a battery, a speaker, and a printed circuit board (PCB). The securement arm of the device can have a proximal end and removably couple to the display frame and a distal end opposite the proximal end, and the securement arm can define a singular seamless shell. 

“The PCB can couple to the battery and electrically couple to the speaker via an electrical conductor. The length of the conductor being greater than a distance between the PCB and the speaker within the shell. The shell defines an opening at the proximal end of the arm through which the battery and the PCB can be removed together without interrupting the electrical connection between the PCB and the speaker via the conductor.”

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