According to recent reports, Apple has ramped up the development of three new AI‑powered wearable devices as part of a strategic shift towards hardware. The company has hopes that these devices will compete against similar products from Meta Platforms and other companies.
Bloomberg reported the iPhone-maker is developing smart glasses, an AI pendant and AirPods which will feature expanded AI and Siri digital assistant capabilities.
The news agency stated each of those products will be linked to users’ iPhones while relying on camera systems with varying capabilities.
The devices integrate tightly with Siri, which Apple is rebuilding with Google’s Gemini models and a chatbot‑like interface planned for later this year as part of iOS 27.
The AirPods and pendant will be equipped with lower-resolution cameras designed to enable AI instead of being used for videos or photographs.
The pendant will act as an always‑on camera and microphone for the iPhone while the AirPods may expand on recent AI features like live translation, according to the news agency.
Bloomberg stated the glasses will be more feature rich, as Apple competes against successful eyewear products from Meta Platforms.
The smart glasses are positioned as Apple’s most advanced AI wearable. Bloomberg stated they are designed to perform tasks like identifying objects, reading printed text, adding items to calendars, and giving navigation cues based on real‑world landmarks.
They include high‑resolution and computer‑vision cameras, enabling real‑time scene understanding, but will not have a display on the lens, according to Bloomberg.
Apple could potentially release the smart glasses in 2027 while the AirPods and pendant may be released later this year or early next year, according to Bloomberg.
Apple is expanding into wearables to maintain user engagement as computing shifts away from the smartphone and toward peripherals.
Sales of wearables and accessories dropped 2.2 per cent to $11.5 billion in fiscal Q1 but CEO Tim Cook announced last year Apple plans to significantly ramp up investment in AI.
Source: Mobile World Live
Image Credit: Apple
