Smart glasses, AI AirPods and a mysterious pin: Apple’s next big bet on AI is taking shape

Apple

• Apple developing AI smart glasses, pin, and AirPods with cameras
• All devices use cameras for environment-aware AI features
• AirPods with cameras could launch as soon as this year

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Apple is stepping up development of three AI-driven wearable products as it looks to push Apple Intelligence beyond phones and laptops. According to Bloomberg, the company is actively working on AI smart glasses, an AI pin or pendant, and a new version of AirPods with built-in cameras, all designed to work closely with the iPhone and Apple’s next-generation Siri.

The common thread across all three products is vision. Each device will include cameras that allow Apple’s AI to “see” the world around the user, enabling contextual answers, navigation help, object recognition and other environment-aware features.

Smart glasses: Apple’s answer to Meta Ray-Bans

Apple’s smart glasses are positioned as a direct rival to Meta Ray-Bans. The company has reportedly already supplied internal teams with prototypes and is targeting a 2027 launch, with production potentially beginning in late 2026.

Unlike full AR headsets, these glasses will not include a display in the lenses. Instead, they will rely entirely on voice interactions through Siri. Apple is focusing heavily on camera quality, with an advanced main camera for photos and video, plus a secondary camera dedicated to environmental understanding. That second camera could interpret surroundings and measure distance, echoing the role LiDAR plays on the iPhone.

Apple plans for the glasses to handle calls, music, photos, video capture and navigation. Users could look at an object and ask questions about it, get walking directions, translate conversations in real time, or scan physical text like event posters and turn them into calendar entries. Build quality is also a priority, with Apple opting to design its own frames in-house using premium materials rather than partnering with an existing eyewear brand.

AI pin: early-stage and experimental

The AI pin appears to be at a much earlier stage and could still be shelved. If it does make it to market, Bloomberg suggests a possible 2027 launch. The pin would function as an iPhone accessory rather than a standalone device, acting as what some Apple employees reportedly describe as the “eyes and ears” of the phone.

It would include an always-on, low-resolution camera for contextual awareness, a microphone for speaking to Siri, and possibly a small speaker for responses. Most processing would happen on the iPhone, with the pin relying on a modest, AirPods-like chip. The design could allow it to clip onto clothing or be worn as a pendant.

AirPods with cameras are closer

Among the three, AirPods with cameras are furthest along in development. These could arrive as soon as later this year. Like the AI pin, the cameras would not be designed for photography, but rather to feed environmental data to Siri, helping the assistant understand what the user is seeing and doing.

Siri is the real linchpin

All of these devices depend on Apple delivering a far more capable Siri. While recent Apple Intelligence updates have been delayed, Apple is still reportedly working toward a chatbot-style Siri for iOS 27. That version is expected to rely on AI models developed by Google, underlining how critical this upgrade is to Apple’s broader AI hardware ambitions.

Looking further ahead, Apple is also said to be working on AR glasses with displays, though those are still years away. Other AI-infused devices in the pipeline include a home hub smart display, a more advanced robotic version of that hub, a new HomePod, and compact indoor sensors for home automation and security.