Apple is said to have multiple AI wearable products under development, with a new AirPods Pro 3 model featuring IR cameras anticipated to be the first to launch. Here’s why AirPods emerging as Apple’s initial AI wearable is quite logical.
### Apple has three AI products being developed, with new AirPods expected to debut this year
While we wait for Apple’s upgraded Siri powered by AI, it is rumored that the company is working on various wearable products that leverage new AI functionalities.
Last week, Mark Gurman detailed three AI products at Bloomberg:
– AirPods equipped with cameras
– Apple Glasses
– Pendant featuring a built-in camera
According to reports from Gurman, Ming-Chi Kuo, and other sources, the release timeline for these products is as follows: AirPods this year, Glasses next year, and Pendant to be determined.
Speculation suggests that a new AirPods Pro 3 model will be introduced this year with one significant enhancement: integrated IR cameras. These cameras are expected to enable visual intelligence features, including some of the ‘AI companion’-type functionalities that will later be available in Apple Glasses.
The more I consider it, the more AirPods appear to be the ideal AI wearable to debut first.
### Why AirPods Pro may be the top choice for the first AI wearable launch
AI wearables are an emerging market, with examples of both successes and failures. Meta’s AI glasses exemplify the former, while the Humane AI pin clearly falls into the latter.
Despite Meta’s triumph, AI glasses have yet to achieve mainstream popularity. They remain an early adopter product that could evolve into something significant.
In contrast, AirPods illustrate why Apple could gain from positioning AirPods Pro as its first AI wearable.
AirPods have immense popularity. It’s challenging to be in public places without encountering them. This is because users are quite at ease with the concept of wearing wireless earbuds in social environments.
Wearing AirPods in contemporary society is not considered unusual. Moreover, Apple doesn’t need to persuade anyone that AirPods with cameras will be an exceptional product.
Why is that? Because AirPods already represent an appealing product category without AI functionalities. The new model doesn’t need to validate its existence as a category in the same way AI smart glasses do.
Instead, Apple can market higher-end AirPods that retain all the typical features of AirPods—while enhancing value with the integrated cameras.
It’s a form factor that everyone is familiar with. And after Apple collects sufficient data on how individuals are utilizing its new AI-enabled AirPods, those insights should aid in refining the development of Apple Glasses.
AirPods with cameras might lack the excitement of a completely new product category like Glasses. However, they can assist users in discovering value in an all-day AI companion, thereby beginning to make a case for additional AI wearables in the future.
Are you interested in purchasing AirPods featuring integrated IR cameras? Share your thoughts in the comments.