- AirPods with cameras are apparently still coming…
- … but the next model, due in 2026, won’t have them
- In truth, little is known about these new buds (which is how Apple likes it)
For some reason, Apple fans are clamoring for new AirPods with cameras built in, and we’ve been hearing plenty of rumors that they’re on the way. But a new report suggests they won’t actually be the next Apple earbuds we see.
According to stalwart Apple correspondent Mark Gurman (via his Power On newsletter), Apple has two AirPods models on the go.
The flagship ice-white buds we’ve been reporting on are set to have tiny AI cameras — and Gurman has now backed up rumors of their being slated for a 2027 release.
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But some models are expected in 2026: Gurman mentions another pair of buds (with a lot less known about them) that are likely to come along the 2026 iPhones at the end of the year.
The coverage doesn’t specify whether these are AirPods, AirPods Pro or even over-ears, but the latter seem unlikely, because the AirPods Max 2 are only a few months old.
Could it be a possible Beats release? TechRadar’s Jacob Krol recently spent a few days at Apple’s Beats HQ and pressed the highly successful Apple subsidiary brand on some much teased Beats headphones, spotted on various occasions at the World Cup recently, but the company remained tight-lipped on those.
For now, we’ll have to wait and see.
Are cameras worth the wait?
Questions concerning whether AirPods with cameras would even work aside, Apple faces the question — given the recent backlash over glasses that see — over whether most buyers would even want that.
The point of the tech is, apparently, to let an AI assistant see what’s going on around you. The hardware is part of a big AI push Apple is undergoing.
That’s despite consumers’ appetite for AI dropping as fast as companies’ desperation for AI increases. I don’t see many AirPods buyers opting for a new pair of earbuds without a genuine reason they’d be useful (and no, smarter Siri doesn’t count), especially if their whole schtick is that they’re always spying on you.
Often when we see a tech product delayed, it’s because it’s just not ready yet. But with the camera-toting AirPods, it’s more likely that we’re not ready yet… or maybe we just don’t need them.
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