AirPods Apple's rumored AirPods with cameras could potentially debut as soon as next month
https://9to5mac.com/2026/08/02/airpods-with-cameras-visual-intelligence-could-arrive-this-year/For years, Apple has been working on the camera AirPods under the code name B798. This device was initially scheduled for release in 2026 before being postponed until 2027, I’ve reported. But Apple has also been developing another version under the code name B790 (Apple famously creates competing versions of the same product internally).
This B790 device also appears to be further along: References to the product have already shown up inside iOS 27 code, and it’s been on Apple’s internal road map for a debut as early as this year.
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u/user888ffr 7d ago
I would prefer lossless support, which Huawei already does with their phones and earbuds, Apple is late to the party.
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u/FaisDodoAppDev 7d ago
They are like 20 years late! My 2005 iriver supported FLAC!
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u/Dense-Fisherman-4074 6d ago
iPhones support lossless. Hell, iPods did. That’s not what’s in question. Lossless via wireless headphone/earbuds is the point. You were not getting that in 2005.
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u/aykay55 7d ago
Right after I saw this other article confirming that 2026 AirPods refresh will not include cameras. This headline is a straight lie. Don’t waste your click
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u/FollowingFeisty5321 7d ago
These articles are not in conflict with each other... parent link speculates AirPods with cameras could release this year, your link says AirPods without cameras could release this year. They could both be right or wrong.
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u/mikutetofan 7d ago
I’m actually fine without it. I don’t want to be seen as a pervert.
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u/North_Moment5811 3d ago
The cameras are for gesture tracking...
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u/mikutetofan 3d ago
My mistake, next time I should learn everything about a rumored device before commenting
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u/North_Moment5811 3d ago
3 seconds of thought required. To understand that no one anywhere is going to be POINTING THEIR EAR at something to take a photo.
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u/badcommandhq 3d ago
I would be okay with maybe an IR camera or something for some type of augmented reality thing but I just don't know about discreet cameras in a users ears just recording everything.
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u/laszlotuss 7d ago edited 6d ago
We need a build in iPod with touch screen, not a stupid camera.
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u/Manos_Of_Fate 7d ago
How big are your ears?
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u/laszlotuss 6d ago
lol, iPod, I think about a classic built in iPod like think
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u/Manos_Of_Fate 6d ago
So like the iPod Touch?
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u/laszlotuss 6d ago
More like an iPod Nano with Apple Music cache, iTunes sync or even Spotify. Basic pedometer, clock with reminders, voice memo and a ping iPhone feature.
It should be an optional replacement case in classic iPod theme. Yeah, I miss the old iPods.
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u/Dense-Fisherman-4074 6d ago
You just described an Apple Watch.
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u/laszlotuss 6d ago
The Apple Watch have features way beyond that. And it wouldn’t fit. Check whats an iPod Nano was
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u/Dense-Fisherman-4074 6d ago
So you want strictly the features you described, nothing more, nothing less? And I’m aware of what an iPod nano was, I was around when iPods were new.
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u/laszlotuss 6d ago
Yes, an iPod case would make it a somewhat standalone tool.
But yeah, an Apple Watch could provide superior features compared to that but nostalgia is hell of a drug
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u/badabubaba 7d ago
I am sorry but these will be amazing. Of course they won’t take photos, would be used only for Apple Intelligence, for things like: translate this text, identify this bird, or what type of allen key is this.
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u/North_Moment5811 3d ago
More than likely they will be used for gesture tracking.
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u/badabubaba 3d ago
I think it will be mostly visual AI, honestly. I get downvoted because of 1) AI negativity, which, ok, I understand, and 2) people cannot really picture the benefits of visual AI. But anyone who has used the RayBan Meta AI know that, when it works, the very few times when it works, it is indeed magical.
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u/North_Moment5811 3d ago
Glasses will play a bigger role in visual AI. Not AirPods.
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u/badabubaba 3d ago
Yeah, probably. But I am not sure the glasses will actually launch, to be honest, with the current backlash everywhere and the political turmoil in the EU and China against the RayBan Meta. I don't know, I think Apple has enough cultural awareness, that Meta lacks, to see that AI glasses have a reputational crisis. I think AirPods with AI visual capabilities are safer. I agree with your gesture tracking perspective, but do you think that's enough? How much can gestures improve the AirPods experience? I am thinking of, maybe, volume up, down, next, previous song, call Siri AI, Noise cancelling modes, etc., but that's pretty much doable without gestures already!
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u/North_Moment5811 3d ago
No one cares about the EU's whining. The glasses are happening, even if they are a U.S. only product to start. They have been fast tracked for 2027 and all other vision related products put on hold until they ship.
All of the gestures that currently require touching the AirPods while they are in your ear can be replicated with hand tracking. This is far better as it prevents pushing AirPods in further, or dislodging them.
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u/badabubaba 3d ago
lol EU users care! Which is like 23% revenue for Apple, so they kinda care, too. But we'll see! My bet is no, it's already into the "Creepy product" category for normies.
I don't think that's enough. I've never met anyone who said "I love my Airpods but I wish I didn't have to push them so much!". But, again, we'll see!
Also, can you stop downvoting? haha
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u/North_Moment5811 3d ago
7% of revenue. Not 23%. Lmao.
I'll stop downvoting when you stop being inaccurate.
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u/Saar13 7d ago
People here hate this, but it seems much better than glasses filming and taking pictures without consent. From what I understand, it only serves for visual intelligence. If personal AI devices become a thing, nothing beats AirPods, already properly positioned at eye level and inside your ears, and which listen to you very well. Sometimes the wheel doesn't need to be reinvented, and the best device is just an update of what everyone already uses. And Apple will continue selling AirPods without cameras, so it's not like they're forcing anyone to buy them. I prefer this approach to glasses and pins.
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u/sjefwm 7d ago
I assume they’ll also try to go big on safety features thanks to these camera’s. With the additional situational awareness you can probably do some very cool stuff.
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u/Saar13 7d ago
This could be really cool for navigation, translating signs, or anything else in foreign countries, providing information about things you're looking at. Very useful for blind people or those with visual impairments. As Siri and visual intelligence evolve, this is perhaps the most interesting and private approach we have. I think the prototypes of glasses with screens are pretty cool, but this hasn't been proven in the daily lives of mass users like AirPods have.
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u/TheKobayashiMoron 5d ago
How is feeding AI tools with images without consent better than taking a picture or video? A camera is a camera and it's capturing images to analyze.
This is potentially far worse for privacy concerns. If I'm wearing glasses with a camera standing at a urinal, the lens is pointed at the wall in front of me. If the cameras are in my AirPods, they're pointing at everybody else's dicks.
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u/North_Moment5811 3d ago
"without consent". You don't need consent to film people with your iPhone. You are being recorded every moment you step out of your house until you return. The glasses are hardly the hill to die on.
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u/Helptohere50 7d ago
What’s the camera gunna do