Apple recently launched a handful of new devices including the iPhone 16e, MacBook Air with M4, iPad Air and more. After the launch of new products, the Cupertino-based tech giant seems to have shifted its focus to pushing the boundaries of audio technology. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is exploring ways to include tiny cameras in its future AirPods. The brand is likely to debut this technology on the AirPods Pro 4.
Apple Planning to Add New Features to AirPods
In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman states that Apple is ‘actively developing’ new AirPods with inbuilt cameras. This technology is unlikely to be included in the upcoming AirPods Pro 3, but Apple is said to be working on it for future generations. The AirPods with integrated cameras could be able to provide details about the surroundings of the wearer, and the gathered data could be used in AI features.
Gurman claims that the new version of the AirPods Pro will use external cameras and artificial intelligence (AI) to understand the outside world and provide information to the user. «This would essentially be the smart glasses path — but without actual glasses», he said. This would allow the users to ask Siri about their surroundings directly through the earbuds.
By putting cameras into its popular AirPods, Apple is said to be eying to expand its Visual Intelligence features into the earbuds. The technology debuted on the iPhone 16 lineup through the Camera Control button.
According to Gurman, Apple will not unveil this technology until 2027 and it is likely to debut on the AirPods Pro 4. Apple is said to be considering introducing new smart glasses in the same year.
The report by Gurman bolsters previous claims made by TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo opined last year that cameras in future AirPods could act as infrared sensors. They are said to offer enhanced spatial audio experience with the Apple Vision Pro and could also enable «in-air gesture control.»
