Apple ramps up trio of AI wearables

Apple is reportedly hitting the gas on wearable AI.

According to a report from Bloomberg, the Cupertino tech giant is accelerating the development of three distinct AI-powered wearable devices: smart glasses, a wearable pendant, and updated AirPods with new visual and AI capabilities.

All three gadgets share a common thread: they are designed to tie directly into your iPhone, using built-in cameras to feed visual context straight into a newly empowered Siri.

A trio of Siri-powered hardware

The most ambitious of the pack is a pair of smart glasses, codenamed N50. Bloomberg reports that these glasses will pack high-resolution cameras and aim to offer a more upscale, feature-rich experience. Apple is reportedly targeting initial production as early as December, ahead of an expected public release in 2027.

Next in line is an AI pendant. As The Information reported late last month, this device is roughly the size of an AirTag and features built-in cameras. Users can clip it to a shirt or wear it around the neck, turning Siri into a constant ambient companion.

Finally, Apple is also developing AirPods with enhanced AI capabilities and camera sensors to take in the surrounding environment.

Unlike the standalone Vision Pro, none of these gadgets are meant to replace your phone. Instead, they offload processing to the iPhone in your pocket, making Siri the primary interface that acts on what you see.

Chasing Meta and the AI hardware rush

Apple's acceleration comes as big tech rushes into ambient hardware.

Meta has already established a massive lead in the category with its Ray-Ban smart glasses, which proved that users actually want fashionable, camera-equipped frames with voice assistants. Meanwhile, Snap is preparing to drop its next Specs later this year, and even OpenAI is exploring hardware form factors.

Apple clearly cannot afford to sit out the post-smartphone race, but its timeline may test patience. Even with work speeding up, 2027 is still a long way off in the AI world, where six months can feel like an eternity.

Why it matters

We think pivoting toward lightweight, everyday accessories is the smartest course correction Apple could make after the lukewarm mainstream reception of Vision Pro.

Instead of asking people to strap a heavy computer to their face, Apple wants to slip AI into things people already wear: glasses, earbuds, and simple jewelry. Relying on the iPhone as the computing hub keeps the hardware light, solves battery constraints, and locks users even deeper into the Apple ecosystem.

However, the real risk is speed. Meta is already iterating in public and learning what consumers actually do with multimodal smart glasses. Waiting until 2027 gives competitors nearly two more years to capture mindshare and refine their models. If Apple wants this hardware trio to make a splash, Siri's visual intelligence will need to deliver on arrival.