AirPods Pro with cameras may be the most compelling alternative to smart glasses that Apple has developed to date. Long the subject of speculation, this new breed of personal audio device is designed to handle visual elements alongside sound, and recent developments suggest the concept is further along than previously understood.
Rumours have circulated for some time about Apple building AirPods Pro fitted with cameras to capture images of the surrounding environment. The purpose is to feed that data into an iPhone’s Visual Intelligence, allowing users to pose questions about what is around them.
Such an addition is not unprecedented for the company. Heart rate tracking already features in AirPods Pro 3, as well as certain Beats earbuds models. Adding further sensors to earbuds is straightforward to accept; the greater stretch was whether they could be sophisticated enough to read the outside world and transfer that data to an iPhone.
Confirmed and capable: AirPods Pro with cameras
While it was known the devices were being worked on in some capacity, their progress was less clear until a leak appeared to confirm their existence. A video within the macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate offered a demonstration of what the earwear could feasibly do.
The units shown resembled ordinary AirPods Pro and could easily have served as placeholders without revealing the true hardware. However, based on the angle, the sensor may be positioned in the tip where the microphone usually sits. The clip showed a person looking at a book, prompting Siri to recognise the cover and then save it for later reference.
Further capabilities emerged in the days that followed, again drawn from macOS. The system was able to capture left and right paired images, one from each AirPods Pro camera, and combine them for Visual Intelligence to interpret. This stereoscopic view could supply data about distance, giving Apple’s AI a clearer sense of where objects sit relative to one another.
The earbuds would also be able to compensate for head movements and operate in passive and active modes. Notably, the AirPods may even process some of the data onboard rather than relying entirely on the iPhone.
Capable, but not overly privacy-breaking
Privacy is the obvious concern, as it has been with virtually every pair of smart glasses ever produced. Cameras built into an item that appears to conceal them raise questions about potential misuse, and the AirPods Pro with cameras are likely to attract the same scrutiny.
That said, the issue may prove less significant for Apple. The paired images will measure up to just 1 megapixel in size, compared with the 12MP photos and 3D video captured by the Meta Ray-Ban glasses. The lower resolution limits the detail that could be recorded of other people, offering a measure of reassurance against the fears typically levelled at camera-equipped wearables.
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Image: appleinsider.com
