Apple Is Secretly Building Three AI Wearables That Could Change How We Interact With Technology Forever

Apple rarely moves fast in public. Behind closed doors, however, the company is sprinting. A groundbreaking Bloomberg report published February 17, 2026, confirms that Apple is actively accelerating development on not one, but three AI-powered wearable devices that could fundamentally reshape how humans interact with technology in daily life.

Smart glasses, an AI pendant, and camera-equipped AirPods are all in the pipeline, and each one is built around a smarter, more capable version of Siri. This is not vaporware. This is Apple placing one of the biggest bets in its post-iPhone era.

Apple AI Smart Glasses Development

Apple develops smart glasses code-named N50. The glasses stay display-free like premium eyewear. They pack a high-resolution camera for photos and videos plus a second camera for computer vision. Siri identifies objects, reads text to add calendar events, sets context-aware reminders and offers landmark navigation.

Apple designs its own high-end frames in multiple styles and sizes with all-day battery. Production targets December 2026 with public release in 2027. The glasses compete directly with Meta Ray-Bans through superior build and integration.

The glasses will feature a high-resolution camera for photo and video capture, designed to compete with Meta's smart glasses. The glasses won't include a display, but will rely on speakers, microphones, and cameras. Apple's prototypes have two camera lenses: one for high-resolution images and videos, and another for "computer vision" that will give the device environmental context.

Apple is reportedly focusing on build quality to distinguish itself from Meta, which likely means the glasses will be a premium product. Developing the frames entirely in-house, rather than partnering with an established eyewear brand like Ray-Ban, signals Apple's intent to own every inch of the experience.

Apple AI Pendant Features

Apple creates an AirTag-sized pendant. Users clip it to clothing or wear it as a necklace. It features always-on cameras and microphone that serve as the iPhone’s eyes and ears. The device functions as an iPhone accessory with dedicated chip for basic tasks while iPhone handles heavy processing. Siri gains visual insight for real-time help. Development stays early-stage and could launch in 2027 or face cancellation.

Unlike the ill-fated Humane project, Apple isn't expected to position the pendant as a phone replacement. Instead, it's being developed as an iPhone accessory, serving as an always-on camera for the smartphone and including a microphone for Siri input.

The pendant is in active development, but Bloomberg relays that it is the least likely of the three aforementioned products to actually ship to consumers. That honesty matters. Apple is experimenting here, and it is being methodical rather than reckless about it. The pendant has the highest risk, but also the highest potential reward if Apple can make the category feel natural and genuinely useful.

Advanced AI AirPods with Cameras

Apple upgrades AirPods with low-resolution cameras. The cameras support expanded AI functions such as live translation and gesture awareness. The earbuds deliver new capabilities while staying tethered to iPhone. Release could arrive as early as 2026. Users enjoy seamless audio and visual assistance during calls, music and workouts.

These camera-equipped AirPods are being built around the Siri digital assistant, designed to give Siri environmental context and visual intelligence from your surroundings.

The cameras in the AirPods, like those in the pendant, will be lower-resolution sensors focused on information capture rather than photography. They are not designed to take your vacation photos. They are designed to let Siri understand what you are looking at, what is happening around you, and respond intelligently without you ever pulling out your phone.

For the hundreds of millions of people who already wear AirPods every day, this represents the most frictionless entry point into ambient AI hardware that Apple could possibly create. You already have them in your ears. Now they can see.

How Devices Integrate with iPhone and Siri

All three wearables link directly to iPhone. They build around smarter Siri that relies on visual input. Siri performs actions like object identification, text conversion to data and context reminders. Users speak naturally and receive relevant help without pulling out their phone. This tight ecosystem strengthens Apple’s hardware strategy.

Timelines and Development Status

AirPods with cameras lead with possible 2026 arrival. The pendant follows in early 2027 stage. Smart glasses target 2027 release after December 2026 production start. Plans remain fluid. Apple speeds development to match rivals in AI hardware race.

Apple brings AI closer to human experience. Users feel understood as tech anticipates needs and simplifies life. These devices mark exciting step where personal assistance becomes truly ambient and reliable. The trio positions Apple at forefront of wearable intelligence.

What This Means for the Future of Siri and Apple Intelligence

Every device in this trio depends on a smarter Siri. That is the connective tissue. Apple Intelligence, the company's broader AI platform, needs to perform at a level that justifies these hardware investments.

All three wearable devices will connect to the iPhone and interface with the smarter version of Siri that's in the works. Cameras integrated into all three products will allow the AI to "see" around the wearer and answer questions about the wearer's surroundings.

If Apple delivers a genuinely upgraded, contextually aware Siri by the time these devices ship, this trio of wearables becomes a compelling, coherent ecosystem play. If Siri continues to underperform, the hardware will feel hollow.

The stakes for Apple's AI team have never been higher.

Apple AI Wearables: Expected Timeline

Based on current reporting from Bloomberg, MacRumors, and 9to5Mac, here is what we know about timing: Smart glasses production could begin as early as December 2026, with a public launch targeted for 2027. The AI pendant and camera AirPods do not have confirmed release windows, but Apple's wearables event cadence typically points to a September announcement window.