Apple is preparing AirPods with a built-in camera! They will be called Ultra and are expected to arrive this year

Well-known insider Mark Gurman brings new details about one of Apple’s most interesting upcoming products. The Cupertino giant has been working on AirPods with a built-in camera for several months, and according to Gurman, development has reached its final stage. The question remains, however, whether the product will even make it to market this year.

Development in the home stretch

According to Gurman, the new AirPods are currently in the design validation testing (DVT) phase. This is the final part of development, where final prototypes are internally tested. This stage is followed by the production validation testing (PVT) phase, during which the first production units are manufactured. The hardware is therefore practically complete, and the headphones are on the verge of mass production.

Regarding naming, a recent leak suggested that Apple will likely launch the headphones under the designation AirPods Ultra. This would make them the highest series in the portfolio, positioned above AirPods Pro 3. Design-wise, the headphones are said to remain very similar to the current Pro 3 model, with their stems being slightly longer to accommodate the camera.

Camera as eyes for Siri

The essence of the entire product lies in the collaboration of the camera with the voice assistant Siri. The headphones are supposed to be able to perceive the user’s surroundings and transmit this information to AI, which will then use it for responses and interaction. The principle is similar to what we know from smart glasses like Ray-Ban Meta.

In practice, the headphones should, for example, be able to recognize what the user is looking at, identify objects in front of them, or assist with translating signs. The question is how Apple will address privacy – a wearable camera in the form of headphones is an even more sensitive topic from this perspective than glasses, because the surroundings might not even notice it.

Everything hinges on the new Siri

Although the hardware is close to completion, the final launch date is not yet certain. Gurman warns that Apple may delay the product if it is not satisfied with the AI features. The headphones rely on a new generation of Siri, which, according to recent reports, is supposed to be based on Google’s Gemini. And Apple has notorious problems with the revamped Siri – originally, AirPods with a camera were supposed to arrive in the first half of this year, but repeated delays of the voice assistant have pushed back the schedule.

If Apple eventually introduces the headphones, it will be one of the company’s most significant moves in the audio segment in recent years. And at the same time, a test of whether it makes sense to put a camera into every device we can wear.

Would it make sense for you to wear headphones with a built-in camera?

Source: GSMArena