Apple plans camera-equipped AirPods for late 2027 to vault into AI hardware

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports Apple's camera-equipped AirPods are scheduled for late 2027 as part of a flurry of releases that includes a second-gen foldable iPhone and a 20th-anniversary iPhone. The earbuds have cameras mounted in their stems and indicator lights for cloud uploads, designed to give Siri "visual context" before Apple's first smart glasses ship. Internal testing pairs the new earbuds with iOS 28 rather than this fall's iOS 27, suggesting Apple sees them as a multi-year platform shift toward ambient AI capture. The roadmap also doubles down on foldables, signaling Apple is committing to the new form factor despite mixed industry economics.

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