Following up on a report from February this year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman is doubling down on claims that Apple is developing new wearable products, suggesting that it could bring smart glasses and AirPods with cameras to market as early as 2027, as discussed in his latest Power On newsletter.
Said to be a direct competitor to the popular Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, Apple's frames are expected to feature in-built cameras designed to work with its upcoming Visual Intelligence technology, set to debut on the iPhone 16 range in the near future.
Essentially Apple's take on Google Lens, the Visual Intelligence tool will be used to scan objects and places, allowing users to instantly access information about their surrounding environment. For instance, an iPhone 16 owner could use their handset's camera to scan a restaurant to access menu information and user reviews.
Visual Intelligence: What to expect
Gurman, a respected Apple insider, said that the Cupertino company is looking to "salvage the billions of dollars spent on the Vision Pro’s visual intelligence technology, which can scan the environment around a user and supply useful data."
In theory, Apple smart glasses seem like next logical step for this technology, as they would allow the user to simply look at an object and ask for more information about it. Presumably, the user would then receive the information via their iPhone screen or listen to a spoken response via their AirPods.
And while it's hard to say how AirPods with cameras could benefit the average user, Gurman has previously stated that the rumored product "would give consumers many of the benefits of smart glasses without needing lenses and frames."
Of course, if Gurman's report is to be believed, we're a few years out from seeing these products go on sale, we may have to settle for the Apple Intelligence features which are expected to arrive with iOS 18.2 in December.
In the meantime, you can access similar features such as the ability to take photos, record video stories, and access an AI voice assistant via the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.
