Apple AR glasses, smart glasses, and AirPods with cameras have to happen because Apple has to extend AI beyond the iPhone.

This is where the AirPods with IR cameras would come into play. Splitting some of that hardware into other areas could give Apple a little more flexibility. Or, potentially, give users extra options to upgrade the experience from a base device.

Apple's AirPods could offer more than just sound, with the personal audio accessories still anticipated to gain cameras at some point in the future, and there's patent filings to prove it.

Apple continues to explore the idea of releasing camera-equipped AirPods in the future, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman

Apple is reportedly developing AirPods with infrared cameras to enhance spatial audio and enable features like in-air gesture control, potentially integrating with the Vision Pro headset, with a possible release by 2026 or 2027.