Apple Eyes AI-Powered Wearables: Glasses, Pendant, and Next-Gen AirPods in Development

Apple is reportedly advancing its strategy in the artificial intelligence hardware sector with plans to unveil a trio of next-generation wearable devices, according to a report from The Verge. The tech giant is said to be developing AI-powered smart glasses, a compact AI pendant, and upgraded AirPods with integrated camera functionality—each designed to work seamlessly with Apple’s ecosystem and leverage on-device machine learning for enhanced user interaction.

While Apple has yet to officially confirm these projects, internal sources and supply chain analysts cited by The Verge suggest that the company has already begun mass production testing for these devices. The smart glasses, internally referred to as ‘Project Iris,’ are expected to feature augmented reality overlays, real-time language translation, and contextual AI assistance—functionality that would position them as a direct competitor to Google’s Glass and Meta’s Ray-Ban Smart Glasses. Unlike previous attempts at AR eyewear, Apple’s version is rumored to prioritize minimalist design, lightweight materials, and privacy-first data processing, ensuring all AI computations occur locally on the device rather than in the cloud.

The second device, a small, wearable pendant colloquially dubbed ‘Project Pin,’ is envisioned as a personal AI companion that users can attach to clothing or carry in a pocket. Unlike traditional smart speakers, Project Pin would utilize advanced spatial audio and proximity sensors to respond only when the user is nearby, minimizing unwanted interactions. It would serve as a voice-activated hub for managing health metrics, calendar alerts, and smart home controls, while also acting as a backup for Apple Watch data in case of battery failure. This device reflects Apple’s growing emphasis on ambient computing—technology that operates subtly in the background without demanding constant attention.

Meanwhile, the third product—a new generation of AirPods equipped with a front-facing camera—would enable users to capture photos and videos hands-free, using voice commands or eye-tracking gestures. The camera, likely a low-power, wide-angle lens, would sync with the iPhone’s computational photography suite to deliver high-quality imagery without requiring the user to pull out their phone. According to The Verge, Apple is also integrating real-time object recognition and facial expression analysis to enhance accessibility features, such as alerting users to emotional cues during conversations or identifying unfamiliar faces in public spaces.

These developments come amid intensifying competition in the AI wearables market, with companies like Samsung, Google, and startups such as Rabbit and Humane pushing boundaries with AI-centric devices. Apple’s approach, however, appears to be more holistic: rather than launching standalone AI gadgets, the company is building an interconnected ecosystem where each device complements the others. The AirPods would feed audio data to the pendant, which would relay context to the glasses, creating a unified, adaptive experience across the body.

While Apple’s official website lists current products such as the Apple Watch Series 11 and Vision Pro, it remains silent on upcoming hardware, consistent with the company’s longstanding policy of not commenting on unreleased products. However, the presence of these devices in Apple’s internal roadmap—confirmed by multiple supply chain insiders—suggests they are not speculative concepts but tangible projects nearing commercialization. Industry analysts predict a staggered launch, with the AirPods potentially debuting in late 2026, followed by the pendant and glasses in 2027.

For consumers, this trio represents a potential paradigm shift: moving beyond smartphones as the central interface to a distributed, wearable AI layer that anticipates needs before they’re spoken. As Apple continues to invest heavily in on-device AI—leveraging its custom silicon and privacy architecture—these wearables may not just be new gadgets, but the foundation of a new computing era.