Apple’s camera-equipped AirPods will not launch until 2027, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, despite a functional demo video appearing in the macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate earlier this week. The product remains mired in supply chain and software challenges that have forced Apple to remove it from its 2026 release schedule entirely.
The timing announcement contradicts the apparent maturity of the leaked demo, which showed the AirPods’ Visual Intelligence system in action. In the video, a user held a book up to the earbuds so Siri could identify the title and save it for later, a clean, finished interaction that suggested an imminent launch. Instead, people familiar with the project told Gurman the AirPods are still months away from market.
Two competing designs, one delayed further
Apple has been developing camera-equipped AirPods under two separate codenames, each representing a different path to market. The B790 model was a modified version of the existing AirPods Pro 3 with added camera sensors and AI capabilities; the B798 is an entirely new generation of AirPods Pro that also includes cameras. Originally planned for 2026, the B790 was removed from Apple’s roadmap, while the B798 remains on track for a 2027 debut.
What the cameras actually do
The AirPods cameras are not designed to capture photos or videos. Instead, they are low-resolution sensors that feed real-time environmental context to Siri and other Apple Intelligence features on compatible iPhones. The demo showed Siri reading text from objects in view, but the system’s scope extends to general scene understanding and contextual information retrieval.
A physical indicator, likely an LED embedded in the stem, will illuminate when visual data is being processed and sent to the cloud. This suggests to nearby people that the cameras are active. Using the camera features requires an iPhone 15 Pro or later model that supports Apple Intelligence.
The new camera AirPods will be branded as part of the AirPods Pro lineup rather than as a separate “AirPods Ultra” product. Internal macOS Tahoe 26.7 files reference the product as “AirPods Pro,” suggesting Apple views this as an evolution of the existing Pro tier rather than an entirely new category. The current AirPods Pro 3 retails at $249, and the “Pro” positioning implies the camera model will remain close to that price point.
Gurman’s reporting on camera AirPods has shifted substantially over four months. In May, he reported the product was in “advanced” testing with mass production imminent. In June, he reversed course and said the AirPods were delayed until late 2027 due to Siri AI issues. In early August, he suggested a version might arrive as soon as September. Today’s reporting settles on 2027 without a specific month, reflecting genuine uncertainty about when software and supply chain challenges will be resolved.
The appearance of a complete, polished demo video in a release candidate creates a credibility question: either the video is substantially older than its discovery suggests, or Apple’s stated development challenges are more serious than they appear. The disconnect hints at internal coordination issues or outdated assets lingering in beta software.
Apple could introduce the camera AirPods in fall 2027 alongside the 20th-anniversary iPhone, aligning the product launch with Apple’s broader AI wearables push. That system timing would position the AirPods as part of a flagship moment rather than a standalone announcement, though Apple’s current silence on exact timing leaves room for shift.
