Apple has confirmed that it is working on AirPods with built-in cameras for Visual Intelligence — full report here. The revelation came in the form of a video found in the latest software beta. So you’d think that means the earbuds are nearly here, right? Apparently not, according to a new report.
Why The macOS Code Leak Doesn’t Mean An Immediate Launch
The confirmation came in what Mark Gurman at Bloomberg described as when “a developer version of a Mac computer software update accidentally included references to several upcoming Apple products, including a video of the AirPods with cameras in action,” he said
Whenever they arrive, the new earbuds will not use the cameras to shoot video or take photos — the privacy issues raised would be way too much for Apple to sanction that, it’s thought. Instead, they would be used for Visual Intelligence, the smart feature which uses the camera on the iPhone to translate the poster in front of you, add the content to a calendar and more. Right now, there’s no way to use this feature on AirPods as they are camera-free.
Gurman has long predicted that the earbuds are on their way, but he wasn’t expecting them to land just yet.
Apple Pushes AirPods With Cameras To 2027
“An Apple Inc. effort to sell camera-equipped AirPods remains on track for 2027, despite a leak from the company indicating that the product might arrive sooner,” he has now said.
His mid-June report that supply chain and software snags “led Apple to postpone the product until 2027,” as he put it, still stands. Product challenges are still being resolved, Gurman claims, as he noted the privacy concerns that the news evoked.
“Some users are uncomfortable with the idea of Apple offering a product that could record or take photos of people unknowingly. Some have even started calling the device ‘pervertpods’,” he noted.
The cameras will be low-resolution sensors, it’s claimed. “They won’t be designed to take photos or video; rather, they’re meant to scan the surrounding environment and provide context to the Siri digital assistant and other AI tools,” Gurman said.
Note that this isn’t a delay: a product that hasn’t been announced goes through development until it’s ready, rather than public deferment.
AirPods With Cameras: Possible Branding
I’m pretty sure that “pervertpods” won’t be Apple’s final name for them, by the way.
Actually, they won’t be called AirPods With Cameras, either. It’s a clumsy, awkward name but, hey, I’m not in product marketing. Perhaps AirPods Vision or AirPods Pro Vision are in contention? I don’t think the early rumored name for the Vision Pro, Apple Reality Pro, will be considered: AirPods Reality Pro is a bit clunky.
The next Apple keynote, then, won’t feature AirPods with cameras, it seems. You can read when that special event will be here, and when Apple will announce the keynote here.
