Apple's Camera AirPods Still Delayed Until 2027 Despite Leaked Demo

Apple's camera-equipped AirPods remain on track for a 2027 launch despite an accidental leak that made the unreleased earbuds appear much closer to release. The demo video, hidden in the macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate and first spotted by Aaron Perris, showed Visual Intelligence running on AirPods and fueled speculation they could appear at Apple's September iPhone event.



According to Bloomberg, the timeline hasn't moved. People familiar with the product say supply chain and software snags remain unresolved, leaving the camera AirPods off Apple's 2026 release schedule. The earbuds were originally intended to launch this year and entered advanced testing among Apple employees this spring, but the company postponed them to 2027 by the summer. Apple declined to comment.


The leaked clip also matches earlier reporting on the product. It showed a wearer holding a book up to the earbuds while Siri used Visual Intelligence to identify it and offer to save it for later. The camera-equipped earbuds entered design validation testing earlier this year, and iOS 27 beta code later detailed how the visual AI could process images from cameras positioned on either side of the wearer's head.

During development, Apple has worked on two versions of the product. The B790 iteration, a modified version of AirPods Pro 3 with camera sensors, appeared in the leaked video and remained on Apple's 2026 roadmap until recently. The B798 model is a next-generation AirPods Pro design that also includes the camera sensors. Neither version is expected to launch this year.

The product has also raised privacy concerns, with some social media users referring to it as "pervertpods." Bloomberg says the cameras will be low-resolution sensors designed to scan the surrounding environment and provide context to Siri and other AI tools rather than capture photos or video. Apple is looking to avoid the kind of privacy complaints Meta faced with its camera-equipped smart glasses.

If the earbuds launch in 2027, they'll join Apple's first smart glasses and other products planned for the year. Before then, incoming CEO John Ternus is still expected to debut several new product categories during his first holiday season, including Apple's first foldable iPhone and a smart home display built around the new Siri.


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