Apple gets in on the smart glasses race

PLUS: The best lightweight hiking boots, a safe cargo ebike, and you should probably get a MacBook Air.

View in browser  |  Your newsletter preferences 04.14.26 Last night, I was unboxing new smart glasses (that I can’t write about yet, sorry!) while reading Bloomberg’s report on Apple’s new smart glasses. The project is internally code-named N50 and is expected to launch late this year. Unlike the Apple Vision Pro, Apple’s glasses will be a simpler, display-less pair of the type pioneered by Meta’s Ray-Ban Wayfarers. And unlike Meta, which partners with EssilorLuxotica, or Google, which collaborates with Warby Parker, Apple’s glasses will be designed in-house.  I love these running sunglasses, sadly. In the US, we’re very skeptical about AI being embedded in our fashionable face computers; we’re even more skeptical than other equally wealthy and well-educated countries. The reasons are pretty understandable, but Meta’s success shows that there’s a real hunger for even more attractive and accessible AI-enabled devices. Interested to hear your thoughts! Let me know at adrienne_so@wired.com. (I will get Meta AI to read your emails out loud for me while I’m walking around my house.)  Adrienne So Senior Associate Reviews Editor   All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links. Learn more. I Tested the MacBook Neo and the MacBook Air. Here's Which One You Should Buy I’m probably going to get the MacBook Neo for my kid for school, but if you’re spending more than an hour or two in front of your computer every day, you should definitely get the MacBook we all have, which is the MacBook Air.   READ MORE ➔     I Put My Dog, Friends, and Family Inside Bike Boxes and Rear Racks to Test All the Best Electric Cargo Bikes Safety first! If you’re going to get a cargo ebike, make sure that it is third-party-certified and repairable. Our best-value pick, the Lectric XPedition2, is affordable, offers a staggering amount of power, and is UL-certified.  READ MORE ➔     I Tested 43 Pairs of Lightweight Hiking Boots on Miles and Miles of Hardpack, Gravel, and Hills You (the collective you, our readers) really want to go farther, faster. These Salewas look like good river shoes for running, hiking, and boating this summer.   READ MORE ➔     ADVERTISEMENT REI Co-Op Rainier Rain Jacket I’m currently updating our Best Rain Jackets roundup for spring and am continually baffled by the value on offer with REI’s in-house line. I think this jacket is actually cheaper now than when I first tested it.  READ MORE ➔   If we were at Sunday brunch and admiring the oyster bar together, I might bring up a few of these things.  I have no interest in making conversation with an AI agent that has a “spicy personality”! This sounds like a recipe for disaster. But maybe you do? Instead of talking to made-up people to learn how to date, you could read about real-life people from Victorian times, who were also spicy. WIRED contributor Steph Pearson has a new book out this week! If you’ve never been up Old Rag Mountain, I also recommend that. ADVERTISEMENT Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up for our Gear newsletters here. Plus, find all of our newsletters, here. You’re receiving this email because you signed up for the Gear newsletter from WIRED.   Manage Your Preferences  |  View our Privacy Policy  |  Unsubscribe   Have questions or comments? Send us a message. Need help? Contact us.   Copyright © Condé Nast 2026. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.