- Mark Gurman’s Latest Power On Newsletter Points Out ‘Camera-Equipped AirPods’
- AirPods are just a wearable product that Apple supposedly wants to equip with cameras
- The question is: are IR cameras enough to beat Meta and Samsung?
Do you like the idea of your AirPods seeing what you see, even if it’s the same tired faces on your daily commute? Apple CEO Tim Cook clearly thinks so, although AirPods are just one of the Apple products that the Cupertino giant is reportedly looking to equip with cameras.
Anyway, that’s according to Mark Gurman’s latest Power On newsletter (Sunday, January 26). The report claims that lukewarm demand for Apple’s bulky Vision Pro has led Apple executives to focus their efforts on AR glasses as the “top” option, but that those same Apple insiders “don’t believe a product ( of glasses) works”. be prepared for three years or more.”
Meanwhile, the company is exploring other types of wearable products that could benefit from cameras, including, but not limited to, camera-equipped AirPods.
This is also not the first time Gurman mentions it. In February 2024, prominent Apple analyst reported that Apple was exploring AirPods with cameras. Additionally, six months ago, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated that future additions to the best AirPods could be Apple headphones that include infrared cameras that can be combined with the Vision Pro headphones to create a spatial audio experience to defeat any rival of Meta Orion. And as we know, in the world of rumors and predictions, two prominent forecasters saying the same thing is infinitely better than one…
However, we were warned not to get too excited; IR-enabled AirPods won’t be available imminently, and mass production isn’t expected to begin in 2026 (which made us wonder in October if Apple can still beat Meta’s smart glasses by adding cameras and artificial intelligence to them). AirPods Pro).
And just five days ago (January 22), as if to add insult to injury, it was reported that Meta and Samsung are also researching camera headphones, following Apple’s lead with the AirPods.
Can Apple win the race to put its eyes on your ears? Will that matter?
With camera-equipped AirPods possibly two or three years away, it seems the door is wide open for rivals to step in and further dominate the AR space. Even if Meta and Samsung are catching up with installing IR cameras in headphones, the Meta Orion is scheduled for release in 2027 (alongside Oakley smart glasses for athletes), and that’s just for starters.
Another rival camera-enhanced product that comes to mind is the highly anticipated Meta Ray-Ban enhanced smart glasses, which could arrive in 2025, with a “a small screen inside the lens.” No, they will not be the full ticket (and very impressive) Meta Orion AR glasses prototype, but Meta’s next step will surely have Apple executives a little nervous.
What about Apple’s other plans for its AirPods? Well, the long-promised heart rate monitor could be one step closer, as the company looks to make its headphones the most capable on the market for tracking your health. But heart rate monitoring is unlikely to come to the AirPods Pro 3 because (also according to Gurman late last year) although Apple has made great strides in this particular area, the accuracy has not yet reached that level.
However, let’s quickly return to the notion of cameras on your AirPods and, because it may not be immediately obvious why want Eyes on your ears: It’s best to think of them working in conjunction with your other Apple technology rather than just AirPods that can see.
For example, an infrared camera could perform the same function as capacitive sensors for gesture control while offering a wider field of view for your Vision Pro. Your all-seeing AirPods could also send data to your Apple Watch or perhaps send information to your iPhone in future versions of Apple Intelligence; hopefully not just targeted ads about the bar, store, or gym you just checked out, but let’s get the idea. .
Finally, putting cameras on your listening equipment could greatly benefit Apple’s rumored AR glasses (although they’ve been three years in the making). Needless to say, they will need to be light and comfortable for racing. A way to shave a few grams off the frame? Put the camera in your ears.
Will it be enough to beat the competition, given the undeniable popularity of AirPods and, most importantly, should we all take a leaf from David Bowie’s great book and sit back and wait for the gift of sound and vision? I’m not so sure, but of course, it wouldn’t be the first time that Apple is late to the party and then tramples it…
