Apple’s AirPods with cameras for AI are apparently close to production
Rumors that Apple AirPods with cameras are approaching a stage where the company will test a first mass production, Bloomberg Mark Gurman reports. Currently, Apple testers are “actively using” prototypes that are in design validation testing, a step before production validation testing.
The AirPods’ cameras “are not designed” to take photos or videos, but instead can capture “low-resolution visual information” that users can ask Siri about, such as asking the AI assistant what they should cook with the ingredients in front of them, according to Gurman. They can also use the cameras to assist with tasks such as step-by-step instructions.
These new AirPods will look like the AirPods Pro 3 but will have longer stems due to the camera technology, Gurman says. The AirPods will have a “small” LED light to indicate when “visual data is being brought into the cloud.” Apple apparently wanted to launch the new AirPods as early as the first half of 2026, but this was pushed back following delays in the Siri upgrade. Gurman says improved Siri is “on track” to arrive in September – perhaps these new AirPods will launch around the same time. (AirPods Pro 3 was announced and released in September 2025.)
Apple’s push into AI-based gadgets will put it in competition with Meta, which has had success with its smart glasses, and could give the company an advantage over OpenAI, which is reportedly making a phone. Apple is also developing smart glasses and an AI pendant that could launch as early as early 2027, according to Gurman.
