Apple thinks eyeballs are what your earphones are missing
Computer vision for your earholes
Apple might be in the process of perfecting a pair of AirPods earbuds with built-in cameras.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple’s camera-equipped AirPods are in the later stages of development. While still a way off mass production, what the company has in the works right now could be turned into a set we’re sold before too long.
These aren’t just the earphone equivalent of the Ray Ban Meta Glasses, though. The cameras aren’t there to capture photos or video, but to be the eyes of an Apple Intelligence assistant.
They will let an AI model’s computer vision recognise nearby objects and answer questions about them, effectively taking on the job you might use a phone camera for at present. Of course, there’s a question mark over how good the cameras’ visual acuity will be, given the hardware needs to fit into earpieces, and that their view will presumably be part-obscured by your noggin.
Despite not being there to capture sneaky snaps, there’s talk of Apple employing an LED indicator to show when the cameras are active.
There’s also some early conjecture that the cameras could be used to aid turn-by-turn navigation, by recognising local landmarks, or actively remind the wearer of something when a relevant object appears. You can daydream up your own scenarios for that one.
These camera-equipped AirPods have been rumoured for years, the first major stories on their development arriving in 2024. Gurman claims they have been in development for four years at this point.
Apple tends to announce its AirPods Pro generations in September alongside new iPhone models, but September 2026 is likely a little too early for this more groundbreaking pair.
The AirPods Pro 3 were only announced in September 2025, and this is not a series that gets nailed-on annual updates. Apple released the AirPods Pro 2 in 2022, and only tweaked the design slightly in 2023, by switching to a USB-C case — instead of a Lightning connector one.
September 2027 is a more likely release window for these smarter-sounding AirPods Pro 4 earphones, if they make it to launch.
At some point, they’ll become part of a new sub-family of AI wearables, which includes upcoming Apple smart glasses and a rumoured AI pendant equipped with a camera and microphone.
Apple enters a new era later this year. Tim Cook has announced his intention to stand down as CEO from 1 September, after 15 years in the job, to be replaced by John Ternus. He recently gave his view on AI in an interview with Tom’s Guide.
“We never think about shipping a technology. We always think about, “How can we leverage technology to ship amazing products and features and experiences for our users?” So that’s how we think about AI,” Ternus told Mark Spoonauer.
