Apple camera AirPods could debut soon with Visual Intelligence

NEW DELHI: Apple may be giving its AirPods a new set of eyes. A demo video discovered in the macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate appears to reveal how the company’s rumoured camera-equipped AirPods could use Visual Intelligence to understand what users are looking at.

The development comes amid reporting by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who has previously said Apple is working on camera-equipped AirPods and that the first model, codenamed B790, could launch as early as September.

The video, first spotted by MacRumors, reportedly shows a man wearing the unreleased earbuds while holding up a book. A Siri voice-over explains that Visual Intelligence could allow users to save something they see for later.

The earbuds are expected to use built-in cameras to capture visual information and pass it to Apple’s Visual Intelligence system. This could allow Siri to answer questions about objects or surroundings and potentially remember information users encounter.

Gurman has reported that the cameras could capture low-resolution visual information, effectively giving Apple’s AI a way to interpret the user’s environment.

A software warning reportedly advises users to keep their hair away from the AirPods to ensure the cameras can accurately understand their surroundings.

References to B790 have appeared in macOS Tahoe 26.7, including code linked to an “image stream”. The earbuds shown in the demo resemble the current AirPods Pro design, although their stems appear thicker.

Gurman has previously suggested that the longer stems could accommodate the cameras. Apple is also reportedly developing another camera-equipped AirPods model, codenamed B798, which could arrive in 2027.

According to Gurman’s reporting, the B790 model could launch as early as September. If so, Apple could introduce the earbuds alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, as well as its rumoured foldable iPhone Ultra.

The timing could also allow Apple to demonstrate its upgraded Siri and show how Visual Intelligence works across its device ecosystem.

Camera-equipped AirPods would put Apple closer to AI wearables such as Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which already use cameras and artificial intelligence to interpret users’ surroundings.

The technology could also sharpen privacy concerns. While the cameras are reportedly not intended for conventional photography or video recording, their discreet placement on earbuds could raise questions about when visual information is being captured and processed.

Apple has yet to confirm the camera-equipped AirPods. However, the appearance of a Visual Intelligence demo in a macOS release candidate, alongside Bloomberg’s reporting on the B790 project, suggests the rumoured earbuds could be edging closer to launch.