The AI hardware industry is evolving rapidly and it seems that Apple wants to be a part of this trend. According to a report from Bloomberg, the company is working on an AI trailer that could be equipped with a camera and serve as the “eyes and ears” for a paired iPhone. In addition to the trailer, the company is also said to be working on AI-supported smart glasses and AirPods with an onboard camera.
What’s the big change?
Apple’s upcoming AI wearable will reportedly have no display, unlike the doomed Humane AI Pin, which was actually the brainchild of former Apple executives. “It’s also designed to rely heavily on an iPhone for processing. Although it has a dedicated chip, the system is closer to AirPods than an Apple Watch in terms of processing power,” Bloomberg reports.
Apple’s team is still debating whether the AI counterpart should be equipped with an onboard speaker. With a built-in speaker, users will supposedly be able to have back-and-forth conversations with the device. And since it’s equipped with a camera with AI-powered world understanding (aka computer vision), it should work somewhat similarly to the Visual Intelligence feature already available on iPhones as part of the Apple Intelligence package.
The tag will reportedly be a similar size to the AirTag, which makes sense. Numerous companies are building wearable AI devices, a growing category that includes names like Friend, Limitless and NeoaSapien, all of which serve broadly as a kind of digital memory bank for collecting your thoughts.
What’s next?
According to Bloomberg, Apple’s AI necklace could hit the market early next year. “Apple is working to allow users to wear the AirTag-sized charm in two main ways: with a clip that can be attached to clothing or via a necklace that can be inserted through a hole in the hardware,” the outlet reports.
The AI wearable plans come at a time when Apple is ramping up its AI efforts after being behind for nearly two years with Siri while companies like Gemini and ChatGPT were far ahead. Earlier this year, Apple signed a deal with Google that would allow the company to take Gemini’s underlying infrastructure and use it for an “AI brain transplant” to enhance Siri with a heavy dose of customization.
In addition to AI wearables, Apple is also reportedly working on a tabletop robotic device. With an eye on competition, OpenAI is also preparing to launch a wearable AI device developed in collaboration with a company founded by legendary Apple designer Jony Ive. Meta, on the other hand, acquired the company behind the Limitless AI wearable.
