Apple has halted plans to launch a wearable AI pin based around the Visual Intelligence feature it has developed for iPhone, according to new reports.
Earlier this year, it was reported that Apple was working on an AirTag-sized screen-free, camera-laden device that would enable users to ask Siri for information with personalised and localised content based on what the camera lens saw.
Since those initial reports, it has been rumoured Apple is planning to integrate cameras into its AirPods Pro earbuds for the same purpose’ and this may be why Apple has put the AI pin plans on the back burner.
Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman (via MacRumors) says development has now been postponed as Apple prioritises other wearables such as a screen-free wristband, smart glasses, and the aforementioned AirPods. Having cameras in the AirPods, for instance, makes more sense. The cameras would always be pointing where the eyes are, and you probably need earphones to collect the information from Visual Intelligence anyway.
It’s also not all that surprising Apple would move away from a device – which speculation suggested could be worn as a pin or pendant – given other early examples of the technology were gigantic failures out of the gate. Devices made by manufacturers like Rabbit and Humane flopped massively and there are other ways to achieve the same goals – within product categories Apple is already invested in.
In the same report from Gurman, he emphasised that Apple is pushing on with a wrist-worn device similar to models from Whoop, Garmin and Fitbit. The screen-free health and wellness tracker may arrive from 2028 and collect the data required to get the most from Apple’s Health app.
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