The AI hardware industry is moving fast, and it seems Apple wants in on the trend. As per a report by Bloomberg, the company is working on an AI pendant that will come equipped with a camera and might serve as the “eyes and ears” for a paired iPhone. In addition to the pendant, the company is also said to be working on AI-powered smart glasses and AirPods with an onboard camera.
What’s the big shift?
Apple’s upcoming AI wearable will reportedly miss out on a display, unlike the doomed Humane AI Pin, which was actually the brainchild of former Apple executives. “It’s also designed to rely heavily on an iPhone for processing. Though it has a dedicated chip, the system is closer in computing power to AirPods than an Apple Watch,” reports Bloomberg.
Apple’s team is still debating whether to equip the AI pendant with an onboard speaker. With a built-in speaker, users will supposedly be able to hold back-and-forth conversations with the device. And since it comes equipped with a camera with AI-enabled world understanding (aka computer vision), it should work somewhat similarly to the Visual Intelligence feature that is already available on iPhones as part of the Apple Intelligence package.
The pendant will reportedly be similar in size to the AirTag, which makes sense. Numerous companies are building wearable AI devices, an expanding category that includes names such as Friend, Limitless, and NeoaSapien, all of which broadly serve as somewhat of a digital memory bank to collect your thoughts.
What comes next?
Apple’s AI necklace might hit the shelves early next year, as per Bloomberg. “Apple is working to allow users to wear the AirTag-sized pendant in two primary ways: with a clip that can attach to clothing or via a necklace that can be placed through a hole inside the hardware,” the outlet reports.
The AI wearable plans come at a time when Apple is ramping up its AI efforts, after nearly two years of lagging behind with Siri, while the likes of Gemini and ChatGPT raced far ahead. Earlier this year, Apple inked a deal with Google that would allow the company to use Gemini’s underlying infrastructure and use it for an “AI brain transplant” to enhance Siri with a heavy dose of customization.
In addition to AI wearables, Apple is reportedly working on a tabletop robotic device, as well. Looking at the competition, OpenAI is also gearing up to launch an AI wearable device, designed in partnership with a firm started by legendary Apple designer, Jony Ive. Meta, on the other hand, acquired the company behind the Limitless AI wearable.