Apple is quietly getting closer to launching camera-equipped AirPods, and the proof just turned up in a place nobody expected: a demo video tucked inside the macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate. MacRumors dug up the clip, and it’s the clearest look yet at how these AirPods might actually work.
What can the camera actually do?
In the short demo, a man holds up a book so the camera built into the AirPods can read the title. The voiceover explains that your world “becomes savable,” and all you have to do is ask to save whatever catches your eye. In simple terms, the camera feeds information straight to Visual Intelligence, and Siri can answer questions about your surroundings and log the details for you.
There’s also a nice little safety net built in. If your hair happens to cover the AirPods, you’ll get an alert telling you to clear it so the camera can actually see what’s in front of you.
When could we see these AirPods?
Internally, the camera AirPods go by the codename B790, and this isn’t the first time that name has popped up. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported on the same product earlier and suggested a launch as soon as September. If that holds, we could see these AirPods debut alongside the iPhone 18 series, including iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, and the foldable iPhone Ultra.
And the AirPods aren’t the only surprise hiding in this update. macOS Tahoe 26.7 apparently references a long list of other unreleased Apple products too, making this release candidate a bit of a goldmine for leakers. Nothing is official yet, but between the leaked footage and Gurman’s earlier reporting, camera equipped AirPods are starting to feel less like a rumor and more like something Apple is getting ready to actually ship.