Next year, Apple will announce two products that, at first glance, might seem like the same thing just packaged differently: its smart glasses and a pair of AirPods with built-in cameras. So what, precisely, differentiates the two?
Industry insider Mark Gurman gives us some clues in his newsletter Power On.
Apple’s smart glasses and AirPods with cameras
Apple will have to convince the public that their lives will remain private. | Image by PhoneArena
According to reports, Apple is working on both a pair of smart glasses as well as new AirPods with cameras built in. On paper, the two products serve the same function. Apple just wants to appeal to as broad a demographic as it can, including customers who prefer to wear glasses as well as customers who prefer to wear AirPods in public.
As the smart glasses won’t have a display of any sort, both the glasses and the AirPods will come with the same features. Both devices will be able to take photos or record videos, show Siri AI what you’re looking at, answer questions, and carry out tasks across multiple apps on your iPhone.
In fact, if I had to pick, I’d probably go for the AirPods. Though Apple is working to include great audio hardware in its glasses, the AirPods will still have much better sound because of the design of their drivers as well as the fact that they form a proper seal inside the ears. Also, personally, I already often wear wireless earphones in public, so this won’t be anything new.
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What sets the two apart, then?
Samsung has already beaten Apple to the smart glasses market. | Image by Samsung
According to Gurman, the smart glasses will differ in that they will have room to include more sensors. In addition, the glasses will also likely have longer battery life compared to the AirPods.
And that’s it, really. The real reason that Apple is making both categories, in my opinion, is to catch as many new customers as it can. As some people have pointed out, there is one subset of users for which the AirPods will be an obvious no-go.
I mean, that's a pretty good point. | Image by Reddit
I don’t see the smart glasses differentiating themselves from the camera-equipped AirPods until they pick up a display. Even a simple 2D display would at least give the glasses a purpose that the AirPods cannot fill. When and if that happens, I’m team glasses.
Abdullah loves smartphones, Virtual Reality, and audio gear. Though he covers a wide range of news his favorite is always when he gets to talk about the newest VR venture or when Apple sets the industry ablaze with another phenomenal release.
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