Apple 2027 rumors: AirPods with cameras for AI and the second folding iPhone
TL;DR
Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman says Apple is testing AirPods with cameras in the stems for a possible late-2027 launch. The cameras could give Siri visual context from the user’s surroundings. Indicator lights would show when data is being uploaded to the cloud. The earbuds are reportedly being tested internally with iOS 28 while public attention is on the iOS 27 beta cycle. Apple is also said to be working on a second foldable iPhone, suggesting the category may be more than a one-off experiment.
Nauti's Take
This is still rumor territory, but the direction fits Apple: put sensors into familiar devices first, then prepare the bigger smart-glasses move. Camera AirPods could make Siri less blind and more situationally useful.
The cost is social friction: people should not have to guess whether someone’s earbuds are seeing, saving, or just listening.
Briefingshow
If the report is accurate, Apple is treating AI less like a chatbot and more like a spatial sensing layer across iPhone, AirPods, and eventually smart glasses. That is useful because assistants need context to act well, but cameras in earbuds also move the privacy debate into much more ordinary everyday spaces.
Sources