According to a recent report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is exploring the development of AirPods with built-in cameras and could release them in 2027 or later. Earlier, it was rumored that these AirPods with cameras were going to be released in 2026, but it looks like they would need more time to refine the product if they decide to release it.
The company is also developing smart glasses, similar to Meta’s collaboration with Ray-Ban, featuring cameras, speakers, and microphones. These products are not expected to launch until at least 2027, if they come to market at all.
These innovations are done likely because they want to make the most of the visual intelligence technology they created for the Apple Vision Pro. The company has already begun integrating this into other products like iPhone 16’s camera control features and vertical setup of the cameras.
The reported smart glasses would not be full AR glasses with displays but rather a simpler device for visual capture and processing.
While Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses have gained traction in the market with prices starting at $299, it remains to be seen how Apple would position its offerings in terms of features and pricing.
As these products are still in early development, changes or cancellations could occur before any launch.
More here.
I honestly do not see the point of airpods with a low res/low bandwidth camera sticking out of the sides of your head. There’s been a lot of handwaving and “for AI” but no actual reason anyone would want such a thing. Then, this article that’s ostensibly about Airpods spends most of its time talking about Apple Glasses, another mythical product. This seems to confirm my suspicion that there is actually no use case, no customer demand, no REASON to even speculate about this silly idea.