Max Headroom 
Apple is speeding up its work on three AI wearable devices, reports Bloomberg. Apple is developing AI smart glasses, a wearable AI pin or pendant, and AI AirPods, all of which will connect to the iPhone and will interface with the smarter version of Siri that’s in the works.
Cameras will be integrated into all three products to allow the AI to “see” around the wearer and answer questions about the wearer’s surroundings.
Smart Glasses
Apple’s smart glasses will compete with the Meta Ray-Bans, as previously rumored. Apple recently provided its hardware engineering team with prototypes, and it is targeting a 2027 launch. Production on the glasses could begin as soon as December 2026.
- Cameras: Apple’s smart glasses will have an advanced camera system with a high-resolution camera that’s able to capture photos and videos, as well as a second camera that provides visual information to Siri and environmental context. The second camera will be able to interpret the user’s surroundings and measure distance, similar to LiDAR on the iPhone. Apple wants to make its glasses stand out from Meta’s with a higher-end camera.
- No display: Apple’s AI glasses will not include a display in the lens.
- Voice-based interface: Users will be able to ask Siri questions and take actions with voice commands.
- Capabilities: The AI glasses will support interacting with Siri, making phone calls, listening to music, taking photos, and capturing video. Users will be able to look at an object and ask questions about it and get detailed navigation directions when walking. The glasses could have a version of Visual Intelligence, able to read physical text like event dates and then add that information to the calendar. Context-aware reminders are a possibility, as is live translation.
- Build quality: Apple is focusing on build quality as a way to differentiate the Apple Glasses from Meta’s Ray-Bans. Apple considered partnering with an existing glasses brand and tested embedding hardware in off-the-shelf frames, but it has decided to develop its own frames in-house. Apple is using high-end materials “including acrylic elements” for a “premium feel.”
- Design options: The Apple glasses will come in multiple sizes and colors. More styles could come over time.
- Embedded battery: The latest prototypes have a battery and all components embedded in the frame, and Apple is aiming for the glasses to serve as an all-day AI companion.
AI Pin
Apple’s work on the AI pin is apparently in the early stages, and it’s possible that it could still be canceled. If work continues, the AI pin could launch as soon as 2027.
- Cameras: The AI pin will have a lower-resolution camera to provide the AI with visual insight, but it won’t be able to take photos or videos. The camera is always-on, recording what’s around the wearer.
- Microphone: There is an included microphone for speaking with Siri. Bloomberg says some Apple employees think of the AI pin as the “eyes and ears” of the iPhone.
- iPhone accessory: Apple plans to market the AI pin as an iPhone accessory and not a standalone product.
- Dedicated chip: There is a dedicated chip in the AI pin, but it is similar to an AirPods chip and not very powerful. The iPhone will handle most of the processing.
- Speaker: The pin could include a speaker for back-and-forth conversations with Siri, but Apple has not decided whether to add this functionality.
- Clip or pendant: The AI pin could attach to a shirt or a bag with a clip, and there’s also a hole in the pin that can be used to attach it to a necklace.
AirPods
There have been multiple reports of Apple’s work on AirPods with cameras, and development is at a later stage than the AI pin. AirPods with cameras are planned for as early as this year.
Like the AI pin, the AirPods will have a low-resolution camera that’s designed for information, not for photo capture.
Siri
Though Siri has been delayed and new Apple Intelligence features did not come in the first beta of iOS 26.4, Apple is still working on a chatbot version of Siri for iOS 27.
The chatbot version of Siri will rely on Google-developed AI models.
Future Devices
In the future, Apple is planning to develop smart glasses with an augmented reality display, but that device is several years away.
Apple is working on a home hub smart display that could come later this year, and an updated version with a bigger screen and a robotic arm that could launch in 2027. There’s a new version of the HomePod in the works, and a “compact indoor sensor for home security and automation.”
This article, “Apple Working on Three AI Wearables: Smart Glasses, AI Pin, and AirPods With Cameras” first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
Featured
MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors – All Stories
[crypto-donation-box type=”tabular” show-coin=”all”]
