Apple AirPods with built-in cameras! Here’s how it will change user experience

Apple AirPods with built-in cameras: If reports are to be believed, Apple is working to integrate cameras in new AirPods, with mass production likely starting in 2026. In a post, Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst famed for predicting Apple’s strategies, highlighted that the tech giant is likely to make use of infra-red cameras. The move appears to be aimed at facilitating the synchronisation of advanced features across Apple’s ecosystem, particularly with its Vision Pro and upcoming Apple Vision headsets. 

It should be noted that Apple already uses the same technology in Face ID on iPhones and iPads. The new AirPods, having cameras, are likely to be used with Vision Pro and future Apple headsets seeking to elevate and enhance the user experience, strengthening the spatial computing ecosystem. The infrared sensor used in the AirPods might perceive the environmental changes, thus potentially will be able to support Air Gestures. 

Underscoring how the camera-integrated AirPods will enhance the user experience, the report cites an example, “When a user is watching a video with Vision Pro and wearing this new AirPods, if users turn their heads to look in a specific direction, the sound source in that direction can be emphasized to enhance the spatial audio/computing experience.” 

The report further states that Foxconn has been identified as the new product introduction (NPI) supplier for the IR camera. The annual capacity plan has reportedly been pegged at 18–20 million units, which translates to about 10 million AirPods. 

Speculations are also rife that Apple is looking to expedite its explorations in other wearable sections including, smart glasses and a smart ring, as well as future designs of the Apple Watch.

The report reiterates that since the ‘commercialization conditions for spatial computing’ are poised to offer futuristic gains, Apple, which already leads in this area, will look to ‘generate new and strong growth momentum’ with this move.