Glasses, pendant, AirPods with camera: Apple accelerates development
It has long been known that Apple is working on an AI pin, Meta-style glasses, and AirPods with integrated image capture. Now they are said to be coming faster.
User with Apple AirPods: So far, they can only listen.
(Image: Ivan_Shenets / Shutterstock.com)
Apple has not launched new product categories since the Vision Pro. Now the company is said to have accelerated work on wearables that are not yet on offer. Parts of this could appear as early as this year, the rest from 2027, when Apple has finally upgraded its voice assistant Siri thanks to Google's Gemini models. According to a Bloomberg report, it concerns at least three product lines: Smartglasses initially without a screen in the style of Meta's Ray-Ban products, a kind of AI pin, and AirPods (Pro) that can perceive their surroundings thanks to an integrated camera (presumably infrared).
Glasses become premium
The new glasses are expected to be released in early 2027, with production reportedly starting in December. A high-resolution camera system will enable the user to capture photos and videos, and a second camera will help Siri capture the surroundings. Control is purely via voice; the glasses can also be used for phone calls and FaceTime, as well as Apple's Visual Intelligence image recognition. Apple is reportedly focusing on particularly high production quality to differentiate itself from Meta's offering. A "premium feel" is aimed for. The battery and components are housed in the frame of the glasses, and they are expected to last a day – at least. Various sizes and colors are planned, with further style variations to follow.
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Apple's AI pin – a category that has so far completely failed in the market – is said to be a device with a camera for Visual Intelligence, but one that cannot record videos or photos. The environment is reportedly monitored constantly. You speak to Siri via an integrated microphone; the AI pin is intended to be the "ears and eyes" of the iPhone, according to Bloomberg, citing insiders. Apple is working on its own chip for the device, including an integrated speaker. The idea is to use the AI pin either on a chain or as a clip to attach it – also to a bag carried by the user. A launch in 2027 is already being targeted – how realistic this is remains to be seen. Questions about data protection, which such a listening and seeing device would raise, will also be interesting. With the AI pin, Apple is responding to similar plans by OpenAI, which the AI group is implementing with former Apple design boss Jony Ive.
AirPods with camera as early as 2026?
The most realistic new wearable is likely to come from the AirPods division: New AirPods Pro are expected to feature a camera for the first time. Apple is further along here than with the AI pin and may want to launch in 2026. Bloomberg reports for the first time that the integrated camera is not only intended to recognize gestures but also to capture information from the surroundings – however, due to the low resolution (as with the AI pin), it will not be used for taking photos.
Here too, Visual Intelligence will likely be the main application, but it was previously stated that the devices could then be controlled using hand gestures. Apple continues to work on true augmented reality glasses with a display; the basic technology is likely to be visionOS.
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