The company is reportedly looking to dominate the AI hardware space with three new wearables
Apple could be preparing its most significant wearables pivot since the launch of the Apple Watch, accelerating development on a trio of AI-powered devices: smart glasses, upgraded AirPods, and an all-new wearable pendant.
That’s according to a new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who suggests the Cupertino giant is looking to make a breakthrough in ambient AI hardware with devices that can act as the “eyes and ears” for a revamped Siri.
While Apple smart glasses and camera-equipped AirPods have already been widely rumored to arrive within the next 18 months, the report adds further detail to The Information’s January report that Apple was in the early stages of developing a ‘pin’.
Gurman notes that Apple is working to allow users to wear the pendant either with a clip that attaches to clothing or with a necklace that passes through a hole in the hardware.
Eyes and ears for the iPhone
The device, which early internal discussions reportedly describe as roughly the size of an AirTag and close in computing power to the AirPods, would represent Apple’s answer to the AI clip category previously occupied by the Humane AI Pin and, perhaps soon, the OpenAI ‘Sweetpea’ wearable.
However, unlike the ill-fated Humane project, Apple isn’t expected to position the pendant as a phone replacement. In fact, Gurman suggests it’s currently being designed to rely heavily on an iPhone for processing.
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The Humane AI Pin was discontinued in early 2025 — (Image credit: Wareable)
Instead, it’s suggested that the wearable is being developed as an iPhone accessory, serving as an always-on camera for the smartphone and including a microphone for Siri input.
This would allow Siri to understand what a user is looking at—whether that’s ingredients in a meal or an event poster on a wall—without the user ever needing to take their phone out of their pocket.
Work continues on Apple’s smart glasses and infrared AirPods
Adjacent to the pendant, Apple is also making rapid progress on its smart glasses—code-named N50—and targeting a production start as early as December 2026, with a public release in 2027.
Following the trail blazed by the successful Meta Ray-Bans, Apple’s glasses will reportedly omit a display in favor of a slim, premium frame made of materials like acrylic. The hardware will feature a dual-camera system: one high-resolution lens for media capture and a second dedicated computer-vision sensor to measure distance and identify landmarks for real-world navigation.
Rounding out the strategy are new AirPods equipped with infrared cameras, which, as previous rumors have suggested, could arrive as early as this September.
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Could we see the Apple pendant this year?
It’s important to remember that this remains a roadmap report at this stage. As Gurman points out, product development in Cupertino is notoriously fluid; experimental projects like the pendant are frequently scrapped if they don’t meet Apple’s strict internal standards.
However, the report suggests the all-new device could launch as early as 2027 if Apple moves forward with its development.
We’ll be watching closely to see if all these rumors gain traction, but we likely won’t get any concrete answers until Apple unveils its latest batch of wearables in September.
