Apple’s next-generation AirPods Pro models with cameras could be edging closer towards a release, according to a well-connected Apple reporter.
A new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claims the AI-powered earphones are now in the “late states of development”, which is described as a major milestone along the path to consumer availability. Gurman’s sources say the AirPods design has pretty much been decided upon and the capabilities are now in the advanced stages of testing.
He writes:
“The project has entered a phase where prototypes feature a near-final design and capabilities, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The earbuds, which rely on cameras to see the space surrounding a user and provide information, are in advanced testing, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the work is still under wraps.”
The AirPods Pro with cameras are envisioned as a means of giving Siri eyes for surfacing contextual information about the user’s local environment. They’d be the first device designed with the artificial intelligence era as the focal point, Gurman adds.
Gurman’s sources say Apple is working hard to allay privacy concerns about placing cameras inside the AirPods. He reports there’ll be a small LED light that’ll glow when the cameras are active and visual data is being sent to the cloud. Whether the additional capabilities will blast the battery life remains unclear. It’s still up for debate when Apple will choose to launch the camera-laden AirPods, but it’ll certainly be after the launch of the next-generation Google Gemini powered conversational version of Siri.
The AirPods are said to be one of six major new product categories Apple is to be working on.
The others are smart glasses, an AI-based wearable pendant. All three of which are likely to be very reliant on the new version of Siri that’s likely to be unveiled at WWDC 2026 in June and rolled out in September this year. The pendant has been rumoured as the ‘eyes and ears of the iPhone’ and is perhaps the most intriguing of the three.
The other three products have also been rumoured in recent months. They are the smart display (aka HomePad), and the tabletop robot with an arm to move the display to any angle. Lastly there’s a security camera, which has also been mooted in recent times.
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