Apple's Camera AirPods Not Launching Until 2027 Despite Leaked Video

Apple's camera-equipped AirPods will not launch until 2027 despite the demo video MacRumors found earlier this week, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. On Monday, MacRumors shared a demo video featuring the camera-equipped AirPods in action. The video was hidden in the macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate, suggesting Apple was preparing for a launch. That's apparently not the case, and people familiar with the product told Gurman the AirPods with cameras aren't going to launch anytime soon. The AirPods are not on Apple's 2026 release schedule because the company is still working to resolve supply chain and software challenges. Gurman's own reporting on the camera AirPods timing has been confusing. In May, he said the AirPods were in an "advanced" testing stage with mass production to begin soon, and then in June, he said the AirPods had been delayed until late 2027. In early August, he reversed course and said the camera-equipped AirPods could launch as soon as September. In that report, he clarified that there were two variants of the camera-equipped AirPods in the works, one with a B790 codename and one with a B798 codename. "Apple famously creates competing versions of the same product internally," he wrote. In today's report, Gurman says the B790 product is a version of the AirPods Pro 3 with cameras, while the B798 model is a new generation of AirPods Pro with cameras. The B790 AirPods were shown off in the video, which featured a man holding a book up to the AirPods so Siri could read the title and save it for later. The B790 model was apparently "on the 2026 road map until recently," but Apple no longer plans to release it. The AirPods planned for 2027 will include low-resolution cameras that feed information to ‌Siri‌ AI for Visual Intelligence features as demonstrated in the video. The AirPods cameras will not be able to capture photos and videos. Apple could launch the new AirPods in fall 2027 alongside the 20th-anniversary iPhone. Popular StoriesAirPods With Cameras Could Arrive Sooner Than ExpectedApple's first camera-equipped AirPods could launch as soon as next month, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple has reportedly spent years working on camera-equipped AirPods under the code name "B798," as part of a broader AI wearables push that also encompasses smart glasses and a wearable AI pendant. That model had been on track for a 2026 release before slipping to 2027. In his...Apple Releases New AirPods Beta Firmware With iOS 27 FeaturesTuesday August 4, 2026 11:43 am PDT by Juli CloverApple today released a fourth version of the beta firmware it is testing for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, AirPods 4, and AirPods Max 2. The firmware is available for developers and has a build number of 9A5336b. In iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS Golden Gate, Apple is adding a new AirPods interface, a slider for Adaptive mode, and support for custom EQ, so the firmware adds support for...'AirPods Ultra' to Launch as Soon as Next MonthApple has been planning to release AirPods with cameras as early as this year, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. If so, they could be unveiled as soon as September alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models and the long-rumored foldable iPhone. The earbuds are expected to have a design similar to the AirPods Pro 3, but with tiny cameras. Given the AirPods with cameras will likely be more...