The AI pendant and AirPods with cameras are getting a big push from Apple CEO Tim Cook, with his Visual Intelligence chatter a big indicator of where Apple's focus is going.
Recent rumors have claimed Apple is working on a form of pin or pendant that works with Apple Intelligence. They, alongside other forecasts about AirPods with cameras, form part of an apparent third product category that Apple CEO Tim Cook is keen to introduce.
In Sunday's "Power On" newsletter for Bloomberg, Mark Gurman recaps the recent hints from Cook about AI wearables and their connection to Visual Intelligence.
This is the element of Apple Intelligence that deals with queries based on the contents of a photograph or an image. However, while Visual Intelligence currently hands off those queries to OpenAI's ChatGPT, Apple is working to make its own visual models work.
If successful, it will be a central technology that will make its wearables lineup even more useful.
Let him Cook
As evidence of this, Gurman refers to the holiday quarter earnings call. Cook brought up Visual Intelligence, declaring it one of Apple Intelligence's most popular features.
In an all-hands meeting, Cook also insisted that Apple has a "huge advantage" in AI due to its massive install base of 2.5 billion devices. In talking about Apple Intelligence, he again brought up Visual Intelligence.
While Apple's current Visual Intelligence is really a wrapper for AI services by OpenAI and Google, Cook's promotion is viewed by Gurman to be interesting. Cook wouldn't be promoting it so much if he didn't believe Apple would be doing a lot more in the area.
Apple is working on its own algorithms and systems for visual recognition. This includes its work for computer vision with Apple Car, its AR work for the Apple Vision Pro, and even recent papers like Ferret-UI Lite for analyzing an app's interface.
Cook's promotion is viewed as a precursor to Apple replacing these external AI systems with its self-made models for Visual Intelligence. When it does so, it will have more of an opportunity to introduce its own new hardware into the mix.
It's also not the first time he has talked up a feature or topic ahead of introducing products in that category.
In 2013, Cook was declaring a massive expansion in the field of sensors while it was working on a wearable medical device. This was ahead of the introduction of the Apple Watch, and its eventual addition of sensors expanding its health-related capabilities.
This happened again with the Apple Vision Pro, with Cook openly discussing the benefits of augmented reality and virtual reality before the product came out.
These are viewed by Gurman as a pattern, and that Cook's Visual Intelligence talk fits perfectly.
Worn cameras
On the hardware side, the first thing that should make an appearance in the AI wearables category is a new pair of AirPods.
A version with cameras is expected to arrive late in 2026, and will place cameras on the personal audio accessories. The cameras would give AI a view of the world, akin to those of smart glasses like Apple Glass, but without the frames.
Those cameras would be low-resolution or infrared, intended less for photography and more for giving Apple Intelligence a view of the world.
The ideal smart glasses should be thin, light, and minimalist in their design
Apple Glass is also expected in late 2026 in its camera and audio-based form, similar in concept to Meta's Ray-Bans partnership. However, a full augmented reality experience is also expected to arrive in a future refresh.
The most recently rumored item is the AI pin, which has also mutated in rumors to mean a pendant that could also be pinned to clothing. It too will be equipped with a camera to feed Apple Intelligence.
As for their usefulness, Gurman muses that the basic applications could include simply identifying ingredients from a plate of food.
A more advanced concept is for navigation, as a view of the environment can give more intuitive directions based on landmarks. Think "Turn left at the signpost" instead of being told to turn after 50 feet.
It may even prompt users with a reminder if it sees specific items of interest.
A long way to go
While navel-gazing about future wearables is fun, it's worth remembering that there's a lot that needs to be accomplished before it becomes a reality.
The rumors of cameras on AirPods have circulated for a while, but implementing them is always going to be hard. Even with Apple's expertise, it has to miniaturize the camera and associated electronics to fit into AirPods.
Arguably it's already accomplished something similar with the heart-rate sensors, but cameras require a lot more bandwidth to operate as-live with an iPhone.
Miniaturization is a constant problem for Apple, and is one of the reasons why the smart glasses has taken so long to happen. Apple wants there to be minimal additions to a typically light and slim frame for spectacles, which makes Apple Glass especially challenging.
There's also the ever-ongoing delays in bringing out new Siri and its contextual functionality to consider. The slow turnaround of Apple's jewel in the AI crown will impact development in other areas.
Apple has the capability to pull all of this off and bring out wearable AI in the future. But as it stands, and with the challenges it faces, it won't be an immediate introduction.
