Apple's camera AirPods, designed to give Siri eyes, are reportedly targeting a late 2027 release. Bloomberg revealed this timeline on June 16, 2026, citing delays linked to artificial intelligence challenges. The project has been an open secret for months, but the precise launch date remained unclear until this new investigation by journalist Mark Gurman. According to his information, these earbuds would be part of a particularly dense wave of launches for the Cupertino giant.
A one-year delay attributed to artificial intelligence difficulties
The initial plan anticipated a 2026 release. According to Bloomberg, this schedule has slipped by about a year due to difficulties encountered by Apple in developing its artificial intelligence models. The company reportedly had to rework its computer vision models, responsible for identifying objects and scenes captured by the future cameras. This same source close to the matter specifies that the timeline remains fluid and could still evolve in the coming months, or even be suspended if the quality of the result does not convince internally.
Project B798, the codename for AirPods with cameras
Internally, the project is codenamed B798, according to information reported by 9to5Mac based on the same Bloomberg investigation. The integrated sensors would not be used for taking traditional photos or videos. Instead, they would be designed to feed Siri with Apple Intelligence real-time visual data, similar to the infrared sensors used for Face ID. Several previous reports already mentioned a light indicator intended to signal when the cameras are active, a likely response to privacy concerns that this type of product inevitably raises.
What will these cameras embedded in the AirPods be used for?
The use case that has been discussed for several months remains largely the same. A user could, for example, ask Siri for a recipe idea by simply looking at the ingredients on their countertop, or get directions by describing their surroundings. More broadly, this feature would fit into the strategy Visual Intelligence that Apple is already developing on the iPhone and has reinforced with the Siri overhaul unveiled this month with iOS 27. The AirPods would thus become an additional entry point to the assistant, alongside the iPhone's camera and the brand's future smart glasses.
Apple would not be alone in this field. Meta has already integrated cameras into its Ray-Ban Meta glasses for several years, and several manufacturers are exploring earbuds equipped with visual or physiological sensors. The battle for connected devices with embedded artificial intelligence is no longer limited to smartphones, and Apple is clearly looking to avoid leaving the field open to its competitors in this nascent segment.
A launch timed with the second-generation foldable iPhone and the 20th-anniversary iPhone
According to Bloomberg, the camera AirPods would arrive at the same time as a second-generation foldable iPhone and an iPhone special edition celebrating the range's twentieth anniversary. This anniversary model would feature a screen almost entirely occupied by the display and curved glass edges, in sizes close to those of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max expected this year. According to 9to5Mac, these models would be codenamed V73 and V74 and would feature, like the future second-generation foldable iPhone, a A21 chip 2-nanometer chip internally codenamed Naxos. The standard iPhone 18, however, would arrive earlier, in early 2027, with a less advanced A20 chip.
Here, according to current information from Bloomberg and 9to5Mac, are the main lines of this wave of launches expected at the end of 2027:
- AirPods with cameras (codename B798): Visual Intelligence for Siri, initially planned for release in 2026.
- 20th-anniversary iPhone (codenames V73 and V74): nearly borderless display, curved glass, A21 Naxos chip.
- Second-generation foldable iPhone: same A21 Naxos chip, follow-up to the first foldable iPhone expected in September 2026.
2027, the busiest year in Apple's recent history?
This concentration of launches would occur during the first full fiscal year under the leadership of John Ternus, who officially succeeds Tim Cook as CEO on September 1, 2026, as Apple confirmed in an official press release published on its website last April. The camera AirPods would not be Apple's only foray into computer vision worn on the wrist or in the ear. According to Cult of Mac, smart glasses internally codenamed N50 could also see the light of day by the end of 2027, in an approach similar to the Ray-Ban Meta glasses. Apple would thus seek to occupy multiple fronts simultaneously against the competition in AI-powered connected devices.
None of this is official yet, and Apple has made no comment on this information. The 2027 timeline could still shift, as is often the case for such technically ambitious products. However, the coming months, particularly the presentation of the iPhone 18 this fall, should provide new clues about the actual progress of project B798 and Apple's overall strategy for embedded artificial intelligence.
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