Apple accelerates development of three entirely new products to accompany your iPhone

The iPhone 17 Pro on a MagSafe charging stand. | Image by PhoneArena

Apple has been working on new products for markets that remain untapped by the iPhone maker, and the company has decided to accelerate development on said new products. The three new devices are designed to be companion wearables to a user’s iPhone and are supposed to be powered by the new Siri digital assistant that is currently in the works.

AirPods and a pendant

Apple is working on a pair of AirPods that will have cameras built in. In addition, the company is also designing a pendant that can either be worn as a necklace or clipped to your clothes. The pendant, according to a new report (subscription required), was a new solution to designing a wearable device for consumers who didn’t want to use glasses or the AirPods.

This pendant also has a camera and is equipped with a microphone to allow users to converse with it. Whether it will include a speaker or not is still under debate apparently, and the entire thing might never see the light of day if it is deemed not worth pursuing. The AirPods with built-in cameras are also pretty similar in function to the pendant, designed as a replacement for smart glasses.

Apple smart glasses

Alongside the Apple AR smart glasses — which the company might be able to launch in 2028 — Apple has also been working on another pair of glasses. These ones, much like the very popular Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, don’t feature a display, let alone proper AR (Augmented Reality).

However, these glasses will be able to take photos, record videos, keep an eye out for reminders, and be conversation-ready. Unlike Meta, Apple has reportedly decided to use in-house frames instead and allegedly wants to differentiate itself from Meta’s glasses with better build quality and cameras.

Should Siri work as intended, the glasses will be able to take proactive action as well as responding to user queries. For example, the glasses might remind you that you needed to buy something whenever you’re in the aisle that houses that item in a shopping center.

The future of the smartphone

It’s quite clear that companies like Apple, Meta, Samsung, and Google are preparing for such wearable AI devices to take off as companion products to your smartphone. Eventually, when battery life and the displays get good enough, AR smart glasses can replace the smartphone entirely.

I can’t wait for Meta and the others to start duking it out and for smart glasses to go mainstream because I genuinely believe that they are a form factor worth making the switch for. If you want to hear me gush about smart glasses in the future, consider following me over on X and Threads.

Try Noble Mobile for only $10

Get unlimited talk, text, & data on the T-Mobile 5G Network plus earn cash back for data you don’t use.

Buy at Noble Moblie