Apple's Camera-Equipped AirPods: What to Expect

[MacRumors]

Apple is working on AirPods that have cameras for feeding data to Siri. The new earbuds will be Apple's first AI wearable, and they could launch in September alongside new iPhone models.

Leaked Video

Apple accidentally left a demo video featuring its rumored camera-equipped AirPods in macOS Tahoe 26.7 in mid-August. In the demo, a man holds up a book so the camera in the AirPods can see the title. "With Visual Intelligence, your world becomes savable. See something you like? Just ask me to save it for later," says the voiceover text.

The camera on the AirPods will feed information to Visual Intelligence, and Siri will be able to answer questions about the wearer's surroundings and log information. There is a direct reference to setting up Visual Intelligence on the AirPods.

If hair is covering the AirPods up, you'll receive an alert. "To get the most accurate information about things in your environment, make sure AirPods are not covered," it says.

Two Versions

Rumors about camera-equipped AirPods have been a little confusing. Most of the rumors about the AirPods with a camera were about a product with the codename B798. In June, Gurman said the camera AirPods had been delayed because of issues with Siri AI, and would not launch until September 2027 alongside the 20th anniversary iPhone.

In early August, Gurman revised his launch timing and said Apple was close to debuting camera AirPods with the codename B790. The B790 AirPods had apparently been progressing alongside the B798 model, and Gurman said the company "famously creates competing versions of the same product internally," with B790 closer to launch than B798. Then in mid-August, multiple references to the B790 version were spotted in macOS Tahoe 26.7.

Design

The AirPods will look similar to the current AirPods Pro 3, but with cameras embedded in the stem. Apple may include a light that will come on when visual data from the AirPods is being sent to the cloud. The LED will let people around the wearer know the cameras are in use.

Size, design, and fit are expected to remain the largely same for the earbuds and the charging case, with the exception of the changes to the stem.

Features

The cameras in the AirPods will be used for sending data about the wearer's surroundings to Siri, giving Siri more information about where the user is and what's nearby.

Siri will be able to answer questions about objects or whatever the wearer happens to be looking at. The camera-equipped AirPods could be useful for more exact turn-by-turn directions when walking, contextual reminders, 3D mapping, and more.

The iPhone already has Visual Intelligence, which uses AI to identify plants, animals, landmarks, art, books, and more. Camera-equipped AirPods will be able to supply data for Visual Intelligence without the need to use the Camera app.

H3 Chip

Apple is working on an upgraded H3 chip and it could make its first appearance in the camera-equipped AirPods. The H3 chip is expected to bring latency improvements and better audio quality.

Naming

There were rumors suggesting the new AirPods could be called the "AirPods Ultra" instead of the AirPods Pro, but the macOS Tahoe 26.7 file we found that references the new AirPods is labeled "AirPods Pro" and not AirPods Ultra. It's possible that's a placeholder name, so AirPods Ultra isn't entirely out of the question, but given Apple put a full video of the new AirPods in the software, there isn't much need for a placeholder.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said in March that Apple was considering several devices with the Ultra name, including the foldable iPhone Ultra, AirPods Ultra, and an OLED MacBook Ultra, but that may not be a term we see for the new AirPods. He suggested Apple might use the name because the camera-equipped AirPods were expected to be more expensive than the $249 AirPods Pro 3, so Apple's "Pro" choice could also be a hint that pricing won't be too far off the current model.

Compatibility

Since the AirPods will feed data to Siri, an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence will be required to use the features. Apple Intelligence is available on the iPhone 15 Pro and later.

Release Date

With a demo video of the AirPods with cameras showing up in macOS Tahoe 26.7, it's likely the earbuds are going to launch in the near future. Bloomberg said they could come as soon as this September.

Article Link: Apple's Camera-Equipped AirPods: What to Expect

 

[everlast3434]

No matter how hard I think, I can't think of something I need less than cameras in my AirPods. I'd settle for them just staying connected to my phone while I'm on a call, instead of connecting to the AppleTV in my basement midway through...

 

[ThomasJL]

Are Silicon Valley people, especially CEOs like Larry Page, Sundar Pichai, Mark Zuckerberg, and now Tim Cook, unaware of just how creepy it is to have cameras in things like glasses and earbuds?

 

[jz0309]

Instant NON-Buy.
The APP3 will be $149 soon enough, and who knows what happens til the end of 2027 ... besides, my APP2 are doing great

 

[teaneedz]

say hello to the earholes

 

[ericinboston]

1. "The cameras in the AirPods will be used for sending data about the wearer's surroundings to Siri, giving Siri more information about where the user is and what's nearby." Great, so kill the battery even faster. Not sure how Siri would even help anyway...um...I have my headphones in my ears TO HEAR MUSIC...not "that may be a pine tree".
2. "Siri will be able to answer questions about objects or whatever the wearer happens to be looking at. The camera-equipped AirPods could be useful for more exact turn-by-turn directions when walking, contextual reminders, 3D mapping, and more." Again, I'm using headphones to listen to music...not a narration over my music about the upcoming Chipotle that is open.

I really can't see these headphones being embraced by anyone other than folks who do NOT want to hear music and would rather hear some kind of video/map/reality augmentation like the tech industry promised 10 years ago.

 

[DerHexer]

I still call this rumor bs…

 

[citysnaps]

I can think of all sorts of applications for cameras in AirPods. It just takes a wee bit of imagination. And no, that does not include making surreptitious photos of people.

 

[Nyx1]

Who make this idea must be friends with ****erberg

 

[watchmainspring]

If they release these, I will consider shorting AAPL.

This product will largely not be allowed in schools, hospitals, and universities--a core target market.

I find it quite sketch when anyone wears META glasses.

I also feel that constant airpod wearing is often socially disrespectful.

 

[entropys]

Are Silicon Valley people, especially CEOs like Larry Page, Sundar Pichai, Mark Zuckerberg, and now Tim Cook, unaware of just how creepy it is to have cameras in things like glasses and earbuds?

It’s like something out of that old David Brin Sci Fi novel Earth. The huge numbers of oldies thanks to health services prolonging their lives have nothing to do but wear TruVu glasses and taunt youth gangs into threatening them. Then the footage is straight off to the police.

 

[gummybear2026]

Airpods Pro Creep mode. Apple has seriously lost it's edge.

 

[entropys]

If the lights’ colour can be changed, could that be made into a fashion feature? I’ll take emerald, thanks.

 

[surfzen21]

Instant NON-Buy.
The APP3 will be $149 soon enough, and who knows what happens til the end of 2027 ... besides, my APP2 are doing great

I have a bad feeling that once the H3 chip comes out the software updates for the APP3 and other H2 chips will be ended just like the Ultra 1, IMO, lost updates prematurely.

 

[chrisninjabay]

WHO asked for tiny cameras in their ****ing AirPods?

Lower latency, Higher Sound fidelity, support for CD-quality audio and longer battery life would be appreciated.

But I don’t need a pair of Earphones that boils water by proxy to cool massive inference ASICS because some ******* in a suit thinks everything should be Ai, or Blockchain, or web 3, or what ever floats the spreadsheets this quarter.

And I don’t want anymore privacy eroding technology in my life forced upon me by the tech-oligarchy.

 

[jz0309]

I have a bad feeling that once the H3 chip comes out the software updates for the APP3 and other H2 chips will be ended just like the Ultra 1, IMO, lost updates prematurely.

could very well be, but honestly, I know my APP2s have gotten lots of updates and the only one I remember noticing was the hearing aid one (if memory serves) ...

 

[boswald]

If true then I'm sticking with my APP3.

 

[teaneedz]

maybe budholes is the better term.

even for Apple this sounds bad. they likely won't take pics but they will "see" faces. how will that data feed into siri gemini?

 

[Avatar74]

Are Silicon Valley people, especially CEOs like Larry Page, Sundar Pichai, Mark Zuckerberg, and now Tim Cook, unaware of just how creepy it is to have cameras in things like glasses and earbuds?

So I spent a decade or so working for a Silicon Valley software company. You're not going to want to hear this but:

They know and don't care. Tim Cook is legendary for his complete lack of empathy when it comes to burning the candle to reduce JIT inventory from 6 months to 2 weeks at Apple Stores.

Zuckerberg? LOL... the guy literally built the foundations of his fortune beginning with a site that creeped on and ranked young university women.

The list goes on. The truth is they're all sociopaths. You don't rise to that level without becoming exceptionally greedy and disconnected from reality.

It's soul destroying, and that's a large part of why I left.

 

[upthetoffees]

Why?

 

[KillerScoregasm]

Steve Jobs had to go to make way for 1984’s future inside Apple.

 

[Plutonius]

Siri: Your ears need cleaning 🙂.

 

[Astuces iOS]

It's not AirPods anymore, that's a spy gadget !

 

[EchoplexSE]

wondering when Health systems are going to just do a blanket ban on these and all the other tech people carry around.

 

[casjohnr]

The fake manufacturers will be upset they have to spend another $0.01 on production costs with a random flashing LED!