Do you think headphones have reached their technical peak? It seems Apple is smiling in silence and preparing to introduce something we never imagined before. If you think your current headphones are smart enough because they cancel noise or switch between your devices seamlessly, get ready for the era of “computer vision” in your ears. Recent leaks indicate that Apple is not just planning to update its headphones, but to create an entirely new category that may be called AirPods Ultra—headphones that won’t just whisper in your ear, but will start “seeing” the world around you to help Siri understand what you are doing.
Cameras in headphones? Yes, but not for selfies
Mark Gurman from Bloomberg has reaffirmed that Apple is working hard to equip AirPods with built-in cameras. But before you worry about your privacy or think you’ll be taking selfies with your ears, let me clarify. These won’t be traditional cameras, but rather infrared cameras, very similar to those found in the Face ID system on iPhones.
The real goal of these cameras is to give the personal assistant, Siri, “eyes.” Through computer vision technologies, the headphones will be able to analyze your surrounding environment and provide precise data to Siri, enhancing the “visual intelligence” feature that Apple began introducing with the iPhone 15 Pro and later models. Imagine asking Siri about the building you are standing in front of, or asking for an explanation of a piece of technology you are disassembling; Siri will know the answer because it “sees” what you see through your headphones.
Why AirPods Ultra and not just a Pro update?
According to Gurman, these advanced technologies will not come cheap. Currently, AirPods Pro 3 are sold for $249, and the version equipped with cameras is expected to come at a much higher price. This price difference is what prompted Apple to consider using the “Ultra” brand, making AirPods Ultra the pinnacle of the headphone hierarchy, just as it did with the Apple Watch Ultra.
There is an interesting point of contention among top analysts; while Ming-Chi Kuo believes these cameras might allow for controlling the headphones via hand gestures in the air, Gurman seems more cautious, stating in his latest report that he does not expect the headphones to support hand gestures, with the primary focus being on enhancing artificial intelligence capabilities and understanding the environment.
The Ultra family is complete: iPhone, MacBook, and headphones
AirPods Ultra do not seem like an isolated project, but rather part of Apple’s larger strategy to expand into the ultra-device category. Reports indicate that Apple plans to launch an “iPhone Ultra” (which may be the foldable version) and a “MacBook Ultra” with an OLED touchscreen within the next two years. Thus, the Ultra family will be complete, including the watch, phone, computer, and headphones.
When will we see these amazing headphones? Next September is a possible date if Apple decides to unveil them alongside the new iPhones, but we cannot rule out a launch delay until early 2027 to coincide with the release of redesigned MacBooks. In any case, it seems the future of headphones will not be limited to sound quality alone, but to how smart the headphones are in understanding the world around us.
Source:
Leave a Reply