With the recent reveal of the iPhone 16e, M4-based MacBook Air, and the latest iPad Air, Apple is anticipating again to embed tiny cameras in future AirPods. According to Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, the tech giant is working on the next generation of AirPods fitted with cameras which could be launched along with the AirPods Pro 4.
According to its newsletter of Gurman, Apple is working on a version of AirPods that will use external cameras and artificial intelligence to analyze the user’s environment in real time. Although this unconventional feature will not be part of the AirPods Pro 3, Apple is targeting 2027 for this release alongside its anticipated smart glasses.
Gumran said, “That would virtually make it a gateway to augmented reality without actual ones.” This means that users would be able to query Siri for contextual cues about what they see through their earbuds.
Adding cameras to Airpods would be a welcome complement to Apple’s Visual Intelligence technology, first introduced in the iPhone 16 series with the Camera Control button. If AI-enhanced AirPods are in any way Apple’s internal ambitions, they might be much more than a way to improve spatial audio.
The cameras have the potential to identify the environment and offer real-time contextual information and also present gesture-based controls to allow users to control their devices with ‘in-air’ gestures.
Besides this, the cameras can also collaborate with Apple Vision Pro to provide an engaging experience of AR/VR. Previously, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has stated that cameras on future AirPods could act as infrared sensors too, adding another layer of AI-driven functionalities.
The AI-infused AirPods also have the ability to serve to link smart wearables to augmented reality. These features will be provided without bulky headsets or smart glasses as Apple continues multiplying efforts in AI and mixed-reality technology.
