Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo revealed Apple’s plans regarding its next-generation AirPods which is expected to be launched in 2026. According to him, Apple is planning to integrate infrared cameras with the next generation of AirPods.
Integrating IR cameras into AirPods could introduce a range of new capabilities to Apple’s ecosystem
The infrared cameras could reportedly be used in multiple ways, which include in-ear hand gesture detection, and enhanced spatial audio when paired with the Apple Vision Pro.
With the IR cameras, AirPods will be able to detect the user’s head movement and share the directional information with the Vision Pro to make adjustments to the spatial audio. Apple Intelligence will also reportedly be able to take advantage of the infrared cameras in AirPods.
The cameras could be similar to what Apple uses in iPhones for Face ID. Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Foxconn would supply the cameras and the current annual production capacity is planned to be between 18 million and 20 million units. However, the actual demand and order volume will depend on the market conditions at that time.
While we don’t know what exact functionalities the hand gestures could enable, they might include basic controls like changing the volume or the audio track.
Notably, Ming-Chi Kuo’s speculation is in line with a previous analysis from Mark Gurman, that revealed Apple’s plans to integrate cameras with AirPods. However, we didn’t know much about the development at that time. Apple has dominated the wireless earphone market with AirPods for quite a while. However, the market share has reduced from 48% in 2019 to nearly 21% in 2023, according to Statista. We’ll need to see if Apple can boost its market share with this latest development and, crucially, the pricing of the next-generation AirPods.
Nonetheless, we are still quite a bit away from the launch of the next-generation AirPods, and Apple may change its plans depending on how successful the development process is.
