Apple is accelerating the research and development of three new wearable devices and focusing on the AI hardware track. OpenAI and Metaverse Platform Company (Meta) are also developing similar fields. According to people familiar with the matter, Apple is increasing its research and development efforts on smart glasses, pendants that can be attached to clothing or worn as necklaces, and AirPods with upgraded AI capabilities. All three products are built around Siri and rely on visual scenes to perform operations.
The above-mentioned people said that these products need to be bound to the iPhone and equipped with camera systems of different specifications.
AirPods and pendants are relatively simple in positioning, equipped with low-resolution cameras, and mainly serve AI functions rather than taking photos and videos; smart glasses are positioned in a higher-end position and have richer functions.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has hinted that the company is developing AI-related equipment.
At an all-hands meeting with employees earlier this month, Cook hinted that the company would invest heavily in AI devices, saying that Apple was developing new "product categories" powered by artificial intelligence. “We couldn’t be more excited about this.”
Cook added that the company is continuing to invest in new technology research and development. “The world is changing rapidly.”
While iPhone sales remain strong, Apple is still playing catch-up in AI. Upgrading Siri is a big problem: iterations of this voice assistant are hampered by research and development obstacles, and related functions have been repeatedly delayed.
Apple is preparing a new version of Siri for iOS 27, launching later this year, that will feature a chatbot-like interface and rely on an underlying model developed in partnership with Google parent company Alphabet.
In the long run, AI will change the way consumers use mobile phones, and more operations will shift to peripheral devices. Meta's glasses have been hugely successful, and OpenAI is developing a range of products, including wearables, with the help of former Apple design director Jonathan Ive and other former Apple executives.
Apple has been trying to find a breakthrough in this field. The last time it entered a new category, the high-priced head-mounted display Vision Pro was not widely recognized by consumers. Now the company is accelerating its development of wearable devices and seeking to achieve breakthroughs to consolidate users' stickiness to Apple's ecosystem.
smart glasses
Smart glasses will be positioned as high-end products among Apple’s AI hardware, directly targeting Meta’s camera glasses. The product will be equipped with a high-definition camera to support photography and video recording.
Apple's glasses project, codenamed internally as N50, has made significant progress in recent months and has recently expanded prototype testing in its hardware engineering department. The goal is to start mass production as soon as December and officially go on sale in 2027.
Similar to most of Meta's current products, this pair of glasses does not have a display, and interaction relies on speakers, microphones and cameras. Users can make calls, invoke Siri, operate based on scenes, play music and take photos. Apple plans to form differentiated advantages in the two core areas of workmanship and camera technology.
Meta Ray-Ban Gen 2 artificial intelligence glasses.
Employees revealed that the initial stage of the project involved embedding electronic components and cameras into ready-made frames from a number of popular brands. Apple briefly considered following industry trends and launching products through partnerships: Meta teamed up with Essilor Luxottica, and Google teamed up with eyewear brand Warby Parker.
However, recently, Apple decided to develop its own frames, offering a variety of sizes and colors.
The early prototypes of the glasses connected the independent battery to the iPhone through cables, but the new version integrates components into the frame and uses high-end materials such as acrylic to create a high-end texture. Apple is already planning to launch more models in the future.
The glasses will be equipped with dual cameras: one for high-definition imaging and the other focused on computer vision, and the technical logic is similar to that of the Vision Pro. The second sensor is used to sense the environment and more accurately identify surrounding objects and distances.
The research and development goal is to make glasses an all-weather AI companion that understands what users see and do in real time. Wearers can view objects and ask for information, and receive assistance with daily tasks, such as checking the ingredients of food.
Apple is also exploring more advanced application scenarios: the glasses can recognize printed text and convert it into digital information, such as adding event poster information directly to the calendar; it can also create scene-based reminders, such as reminding users to pick up and place products when they see the corresponding shelves in the supermarket.
When navigating, Siri can combine real-life landmarks instead of just providing general instructions to guide users to pass a certain building or vehicle and then turn.
The iPhone already has image analysis AI capabilities such as visual intelligence, and glasses will make this type of technology easier to use.
Smart pendant and AirPods
Some users are reluctant to wear devices on their faces, especially those who do not wear glasses. Apple plans to cover this market with two more AI wearables: a smart pendant and camera-equipped AirPods.
During the development of glasses, Apple's industrial design team came up with the idea of a pendant before the final plan was finalized. The device is reminiscent of the previously failed Humane AI pin, but is positioned as an iPhone accessory rather than a standalone product.
The pendant is essentially the iPhone's resident camera, with a microphone for inputting Siri commands, and some Apple employees call it the phone's "eyes and ears."
The now-defunct Humane AI Pin.
The project is led by the industrial design team, with engineering support provided by the vision products team that developed Vision Pro and is also responsible for the smart glasses project.
Unlike the Humane AI brooch, Apple’s device does not have a projection or display system and relies heavily on the iPhone for computing. Despite the dedicated chip, the computing power is closer to that of AirPods than Apple Watch.
One controversial point of the product is whether it is equipped with speakers. If equipped with speakers, users can talk directly to the device without taking out their iPhone or wearing AirPods.
Apple plans to design the AirTag-sized pendant to be worn two ways: it can be attached to clothing with a clip, or it can be worn through a hole as a necklace.
"The Information" has previously reported some information about this brooch project, which is still in its early stages and may be cancelled. If the project proceeds smoothly, it could be launched as soon as next year. Other product plans may also be adjusted.
Apple has previously halted the development of many devices, including a new version of Apple Watch with built-in cameras. Testers found that the design was not practical enough due to issues such as sleeve obstruction and poor wrist shooting angles.
The camera version of AirPods will be available as soon as this year, and related research and development has been going on for some time. Bloomberg first reported in early 2024 that Apple was exploring headphones with cameras. The company has continued to add AI features to AirPods, including a real-time translation mode introduced last year.
In the future, Apple plans to launch smart glasses equipped with augmented reality displays to provide users with richer information and visual experiences, but such products are still many years away from being on the market.
Apple last year stopped developing a lower-priced, lighter Vision Pro headset called the N100. The product was supposed to be a transitional model for AR devices, but Apple ultimately chose to focus on glasses rather than a closed headset design.
In addition to wearable devices, Apple is also developing a series of home AI devices, including smart displays based on the new version of Siri, and a large-screen version with a robotic arm that will be launched later. The company is also developing new HomePod speakers, as well as small indoor sensors for home security and automation.