- Not for taking photos or video: it's an extra input for AI
- Meta is reportedly unhappy with progress so far
- Samsung's plans are still largely secret
Apple isn't the only firm considering sticking cameras into your earbuds, although it's probably closer than most: as we reported last year, Apple has been experimenting with IR cameras in AirPods, and is apparently planning to use them to help inform AI and deliver the audio equivalent of smart glasses.
A new report says that Apple isn't the only firm wanting to be an eye-in-ear pioneer. Meta and Samsung are apparently looking into people's ears too, but the path to in-ear cameras has proved to be a little tricky.
Ear we go, ear we go, ear we go
The report, by Bloomberg, details the efforts of Apple's earbud rivals. Meta's system appears to have the same goal as Apple's one – not to take photos or record video, but to analyze the world around you and provide input to AI assistants – and "would let users look at an object and ask the earbuds to analyze the item", much like Meta's Ray-Ban glasses do. However, such devices are at least a few years away.
Meta has encountered several issues, which presumably Apple has encountered too. The report says that there have been issues with people who have long hair, and Meta is apparently unsatisfied with the camera angles of the devices currently named "Camera Buds".
As for Samsung, those legendary leakers "people with knowledge of the matter" say that the firm is also considering a version of earbuds with cameras inside. However as yet there's no detail of how advanced that project is, or if it's even begun.
Cameras on earbuds make a lot of sense as an alternative to the idea of smart AR glasses, because there will be a big hurdle to get people who don't wear glasses normally to put them on. But so many of us wear a pair of the best earbuds when out and about that they might be a better solution to the question of what kind of camera people would really wear. But as mentioned above, they bring their own troubles, ranging from hair to hats.
Is there an option to simply not have cameras feeding information to your phone's AI? That seems to be Plan Z…
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