Why Apple is putting cameras in AirPods

Apple AirPods Pro
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, known for his accurate predictions regarding Apple’s future hardware plans, revealed that Apple is prepping AirPods with built-in cameras by 2026. Unlike the cameras on your iPhone, these wouldn’t capture photos or videos. Instead, they’d function similarly to the infrared camera used for Face ID, unlocking new possibilities.
Ming-Chi Kuo via Medium:
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My latest supply chain survey indicates that Apple plans to mass-produce new AirPods with camera modules by 2026, featuring an IR camera similar to the iPhone Face ID receiver (not the transmitter).
Foxconn is the new product introduction (NPI) supplier for the IR camera, with an annual capacity plan of 18–20 million units, or about 10 million AirPods. Actual demand and orders will depend on market conditions.
The new AirPods is expected to be used with Vision Pro and future Apple headsets to enhance the user experience of spatial audio and strengthen the spatial computing ecosystem. For example, when a user is watching a video with Vision Pro and wearing this new AirPods, if users turn their heads to look in a specific direction, the sound source in that direction can be emphasized to enhance the spatial audio/computing experience.
The IR camera can detect environmental image changes, potentially enabling in-air gesture control to enhance human-device interaction. It is worth noting that Apple has filed related patents in this area.
Apple’s planning for hardware, software and services has always focused on strengthening the competitiveness of the ecosystem, and spatial computing is no exception. As the commercialization conditions for spatial computing mature in the future, Apple, which has a significant lead in this area, is expected to generate new and strong growth momentum.

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MacDailyNews Take: Already, Spatial Audio with Dynamic Head Tracking brings amazing theater-like sound from the movie or video you’re watching, so that sound seems like it’s coming from all around you, and it works on AirPods Pro (1st or 2nd generation), AirPods Max, AirPods (3rd generation), Beats Fit Pro, Beats Studio Pro, and Beats Solo 4.
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