The new AirPods prove Apple is still the king of design

Apple is working on a new pair of earphones — AirPods with cameras — and they’re already in the late stages of development. Now, I know I’m going to get a lot of flak for this, but these new AirPods are just proof that once Apple decides to enter a new category, it completely changes the game.

Cameras on AirPods?

Yep, cameras on AirPods. It’s one of the few ways that the company is exploring the idea of AI-powered wearables.

Instead of smart glasses like the Meta Ray-Ban model or the upcoming Galaxy glasses from Samsung, users can instead use their AirPods. The cameras will be able to see a user’s surroundings, just like the smart glasses, and be able to answer queries, give directions, take pictures, and more.

So no Apple smart glasses?

Apple is also working on a pair of smart glasses. In fact, the company recently shelved the Vision Pro and diverted more resources towards pushing its glasses to market as soon as possible.

Additionally, Apple is also considering a pendant with a camera as yet another alternative to smart glasses, sort of similar to the unpopular Humane AI pin. But it’s the AirPods that have my attention, because honestly, they’re a stroke of genius.

Better than today’s glasses

Smart glasses are, in my opinion, pretty cool. Except for the Meta Ray-Ban that send copious amounts of private footage of intimate moments to workers overseas.

But not everyone wants to wear glasses. Especially people who might have gotten laser eye surgery to specifically eliminate their need to use glasses. The new AirPods are a brilliant stroke of genius.

Think about it, all that really needs to be done is for cameras to be added to the AirPods. Earphones already have drivers, obviously, as well as microphones. Today’s customers are already used to hearing audio from their earphones and speaking into their microphones.



Obviously, AirPods with cameras cannot replace smart glasses that have a display, especially not a pair that has a proper AR display. Apple will still need to work on smart glasses to compete with upcoming AR smart glasses from competitors like Meta and Google, two companies to which Apple has recently lost a lot of talented employees to.

But if I were choosing between smart glasses without a display or earphones, I would go for the latter. I already wear my earphones out in public, often using ambient mode to hear what’s going on around me, so this will be as natural a switch as can be.

Another design revolution?

Apple isn’t exactly the first to bring cameras to earphones for AI. Notably, the University of Washington did so this year, though after news of AirPods with cameras had already spread. Other competitors are reportedly working on similar offerings as well.

But what can’t be denied, in my opinion, is that this is yet another win for Apple, where the company is going to revolutionize an entire product category yet again. Earphones instead of glasses, something that almost everyone uses vs something that not everyone is fond of, it’s novel.

Like with Bluetooth earphones in general, I wouldn’t be surprised if the industry adopts earphones with cameras en masse after Apple’s new AirPods come out. I would also not be surprised in the slightest if they become more popular among customers interested in display-free glasses.

Apple has definitely done some very stupid things. The removal of the headphone jack, which led to the popularity of the AirPods in the first place, and the display notch come to mind as egregious examples.

But it’s products like these new AirPods that remind me that Apple can truly release something extraordinary if it puts its mind to it. Now, fingers crossed for the iPhone 20 Pro.

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