Smart glasses are about to have their iPhone moment and Apple is late to the party

The article argues 2026 is the iPhone moment for smart glasses, forecasting category sales rising from 6 million units in 2025 to 20 million in 2026. It says Apple (AAPL.OQ) is late: its flagship glasses aren’t expected until 2Q 2027 and full-display XR in 2H 2028, while Meta and Google are defining the near-term inflection. Meta is the volume leader (Ray‑Ban Meta), taking losses in Reality Labs ($4.03B in Q1 2026) and raising capex guidance; Google is pursuing an open Android XR ecosystem with broad retail partnerships. Broadcom is framed as a “picks-and-shovels” supplier beneficiary. Market impact: near-term winners are Meta and Google on volume/platform breadth, Broadcom as a hardware supplier proxy, and Apple faces a delayed launch risk that could mute upside until its 2027 window. Investors should watch these stocks into Apple’s 2Q 2027 launch window.