Apple's banking on camera-equipped AirPods to trounce Meta smart glasses, but I'm not sure it's enough

AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation

(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)

Mark Gurman's latest Power On newsletter notes 'camera-equipped AirPods'
AirPods are just one wearable product Apple allegedly wants to fit with cameras
The question is, are IR cameras enough to beat Meta and Samsung?

Like the idea of your AirPods seeing what you see – even if it's just the same tired faces on your daily commute? Apple CEO Tim Cook clearly does, although AirPods are just one Apple product the Cupertino giant is reportedly looking to equip with cameras.

That's according to Mark Gurman's latest Power On newsletter (Sunday, January 26), anyway. The report states that lukewarm demand for Apple's bulky Vision Pro has led Apple execs to concentrate their efforts on AR glasses as the "superior" option, but that those same people in the know at Apple "don’t think a (glasses) product will be ready for three years or more."

So, in the meantime, the company is exploring other types of wearable products that could benefit from cameras, including – but not limited to – camera-equipped AirPods.

This isn't the first time Gurman's mentioned it, either. In February 2024, the noted Apple analyst reported that Apple was exploring AirPods with cameras. Also, six months ago, fellow analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed future additions to the best AirPods could be Apple earbuds that include infrared cameras to be paired with your Vision Pro headset and thus create a spatial audio experience to trounce any Meta Orion rivals. And as we know, in the world of rumors and predictions, two noted tipsters saying the same thing is infinitely better than one…

We were warned not to get too excited, though; IR-enabled AirPods aren't going to be available imminently, with mass production not expected to start in 2026 (which had us wondering in October whether Apple can still beat Meta's smart glasses by adding cameras and AI to AirPods Pro).

And just five days ago (January 22), as if to add insult to injury, it was reported that Meta and Samsung are also looking into earbuds with cameras, following Apple's lead with AirPods.

Can Apple win the race to put its eyes in your ears – and will it matter?

With camera-equipped AirPods possibly two to three years away, it feels like the door's wide open for rivals to step in and further dominate the AR space. Even if Meta and Samsung are playing catch-up on actually putting IR cameras in earbuds, the Meta Orion has been slated for a 2027 release (alongside Oakley smart glasses for athletes), and that's just for starters.

Another camera-enhanced rival product that jumps to mind is the hotly-anticipated improved Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, which could land in 2025 – with a "single small in-lens screen." No, they won't be the full-ticket (and very impressive) Meta Orion AR glasses prototype, but Meta's next step will almost certainly have Apple execs a little rattled.

What about Apple's other plans for its AirPods? Well, the long-promised heart-rate monitor could be one step closer as the company seeks to make its earbuds the most capable earbuds for tracking your health on the market. But it's unlikely that heart-rate monitoring will arrive in AirPods Pro 3 because (also according to Gurman late last year) although Apple's made great strides in this area particularly, the accuracy isn't quite there yet.

Back to the notion of cameras in your AirPods quickly, though, and – because it may not be immediately apparent why you'd want eyes in your ears – it's best to think of them working in conjunction with your other Apple tech rather than simply AirPods that can see.

For example, an IR camera might perform the same function as capacitive sensors for gesture control while offering a wider field of vision for your Vision Pro. Your all-seeing AirPods might also feed data to your Apple Watch or perhaps ping information to your iPhone in future versions of Apple Intelligence – hopefully not just targeted ads about the bar, store, or gym you just glanced at, but let's acknowledge the thought.

Finally, putting cameras in your listening gear could greatly benefit Apple's purported (albeit three years in the pipeline) AR glasses. It goes without saying that they'll need to be light and comfortable to compete. One way of shaving a few grams off the frame? Put the camera in your ears.

Will it be enough to beat the competition, given AirPods undeniable popularity – and most importantly, should we all take a leaf out of the great David Bowie's book and sit right down, waiting for the gift of sound and vision? I'm not so sure, but then again, it wouldn't be the first time Apple's arrived late to the party and then walked all over it…