Kmart launches $89 Anko smart glasses in Australia as Apple doubles down on privacy for its wearables push

Kmart and Target debut Anko smart glasses at A$89

Kmart and Target have launched an A$89 pair of Anko-branded smart glasses in Australia, sharply lowering the price point for wearable cameras and AI image recognition in the local market. The glasses resemble thick-rimmed everyday frames and carry an 8 megapixel camera capable of 1080p video, along with speakers, a microphone and Bluetooth connectivity, with image recognition handled through a connected smartphone app. A Kmart Group spokesperson told SmartCompany the product sits within "an established and increasingly mainstream category of wearable technology," and urged customers to "use the product responsibly, respectfully and in accordance with applicable laws and community expectations around privacy."

Feature gap with Meta and rival budget devices

The Anko glasses undercut comparable offerings already sold in Australia: Meta's smart glasses start at A$469 locally, while Amazon and Temu list smart glasses with similar specifications at a comparable price to Anko's. The report frames the Anko launch as the most accessible version of the category released in Australia to date. Like Meta's devices, the Anko frames include a light that flashes when the camera is recording, and the manual instructs users to "please abide by local laws and regulations and respect other people's privacy."

Privacy debate and unresolved safeguards

The launch lands against a backdrop of intensifying public concern that smart glasses could be misused to surreptitiously film bystanders. A Queensland consumer who showcased the Anko glasses on TikTok told Yahoo the devices could fall into the hands of "creeps," and similar worries surfaced in a Kmart-and-Target-focused Facebook group. Meta has separately said it will remotely disable Meta glasses that have been tampered with and remove related content from Facebook and Instagram, but it remains unclear from the available reporting whether the Anko glasses include equivalent safeguards if their indicator light is removed or disabled.

Apple centres privacy in its smart glasses effort

Separately, reporting dated 27 July 2026 indicates Apple is positioning privacy as a central element of its entry into smart glasses. Coverage headlined "Apple Makes Privacy Central to Smart Glasses Push" and a Lifehacker piece titled "How Apple Might Try to Make Its Smart Glasses Less Creepy" both frame Apple's approach around mitigating the same bystander-recording anxieties now visible around cheaper rivals. The available headlines and framing suggest Apple is preparing a differentiated, privacy-led pitch, though specific product features and timing are not detailed in the supplied evidence.

What remains uncertain

The Anko glasses' privacy safeguards beyond the indicator light are not documented in the reporting, and it is unclear how Meta's remote-disable policy, or any equivalent from Apple, will interact with budget devices sold through major retailers. For Apple's glasses, the reporting only confirms the privacy-focused framing; specifications, pricing and a release window are not specified in the supplied sources.