Apple revives AI wearables project with smart glasses, pendant, and camera AirPods

Just hours after Apple announced its March event for the upcoming iPhone 17e, new details have emerged suggesting that the company’s next big move could be something entirely different, and far more futuristic.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is quietly working on a trio of AI-powered wearables: smart glasses, a pendant-style AI device, and camera-equipped AirPods.

While the event scheduled for March 4 is expected to announced iPhone 17e, new iPads and low-cost MacBooks, the new rumoured AI devices are a leap into the future.

The new lineup, reportedly built around Siri and closely integrated with the iPhone, marks a significant leap in Apple’s ambitions to dominate the next wave of consumer technology, the era of intelligent, always-on assistants.

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Apple’s AI comeback moment

After years of lagging behind rivals like OpenAI, Meta, Google, and Samsung in the generative AI race, Apple is finally making its move. CEO Tim Cook has reportedly told employees that the company’s future focus will centre on AI devices, a declaration that signals a bold shift for the Cupertino giant.

According to Gurman’s report, all three devices are designed to work hand-in-hand with the iPhone and will use onboard cameras not for photography, but for powering AI-driven contextual awareness, a feature that could allow users to interact with their surroundings in unprecedented ways.

A pendant that can see what you see, AirPods that can sense your environment, and glasses that double as an intelligent heads-up display, Apple’s AI hardware ambitions sound straight out of science fiction.

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The smart glasses, internally codenamed N50, are said to feature a built-in display and camera system, placing them squarely in the high-end category. While Apple’s first-generation Vision Pro headset laid the groundwork for mixed-reality computing, these glasses are expected to be far lighter, sleeker, and more seamlessly integrated into everyday life, a direct competition to Meta RayBan.

Bloomberg reports that the glasses could enter production as early as this year, with a launch targeted for 2027, a direct contradiction to market analyst Omdi’s prediction that they wouldn’t arrive until 2028.

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Apple’s AI pendant and camera-enabled AirPods also raise eyebrows. While earbuds with built-in cameras sound unconventional, Gurman clarifies that the cameras will not be used for taking photos but to enhance AI functions such as real-time translation, spatial awareness, and visual recognition.

Racing toward the AI wearable future

Apple isn’t alone in this race. Tech giants are betting big on AI wearables, Meta’s smart glasses reportedly tripled sales in 2025, while Google is gearing up to release its Android XR smart glasses later this year. Recent leaps in generative AI have transformed these devices from novelty gadgets into genuinely useful tools capable of live translation, summarisation, and scene understanding.

For Apple, the revival of its AI wearables initiative represents both a comeback and a statement of intent. The company might have arrived late to the AI party, but with its unmatched ecosystem and massive user base, it could still define the next decade of personal technology.

If these reports prove accurate, Apple’s next big event might not just be about a new iPhone, it could mark the dawn of a new class of AI-powered companions designed to live quietly and intelligently alongside us.