New AirPods could include infrared cameras that work with Apple Vision Pro
Apple might be planning to add new feature to AirPods that improves spatial experiences
📸 Apple might be planning to include cameras in future AirPods
🎧 It’s likely the AirPods Pro models will support the feature
🥽 The infrared cameras will improve spatial computing when used with Apple Vision Pro
📆 Apple could mass-produce the new AirPods by 2026
Apple’s new AirPods could feature infrared cameras designed to work in conjunction with the Apple Vision Pro and improve spatial experiences, according to trusted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
In a post on Medium, Kuo said that his latest supply chain survey indicates that Apple is planning to mass-produce new AirPods with camera modules by 2026. The wireless earbuds will include an IR camera, similar to the iPhone Face ID receiver.
Foxconn, a manufacturer that Apple has used for years, is planning to produce 18 to 20 million units of the IR camera, or about 10 million AirPods, depending on market conditions.
Apple appears to be planning to use its AirPods to enhance the user experience while wearing the Apple Vision Pro headset, leaning into spatial audio even more than before. A quick example could include a user turning their head to look in a specific direction and hearing the sound source from that area.
Kuo goes on to explain that the IR camera will be able to detect environmental image changes, such as in-air gesture controls. Apple has previously filed related patents, but we’ll have to see exactly how the new AirPods will elevate the spatial computing experience.
Apple isn’t giving up on its Vision Pro headset, even though sales have waned in the US since it launched in February. The headset has now launched in mainland China, Singapore and Japan, and will come to the UK, Canada, Germany and more countries on July 12.
Apple has also apparently put an Apple Vision Pro 2 on hold in favor of a cheaper, lighter model that could help it achieve more mass market penetration and announced several new features are coming to visionOS 2.
If you’ve been eying up the AirPods Pro (2nd generation) for a while, Amazon Prime Day 2024 is likely to include a discount on Apple’s popular wireless earbuds.
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.