A couple of months ago, we saw reports claiming that Apple is working on adding AI-powered cameras to its smartwatches, including the base model Watch as well as the more premium Watch Ultra. It looks like those plans have been shelved, and pretty recently at that.
Bloomberg reports that while the bitten fruit brand “has actively been working to release a camera-equipped Apple Watch and Apple Watch Ultra by 2027”, those plans were shelved last week. No reason was provided in the report, but it does mention that the company is continuing its work to add cameras to AirPods is still ongoing. Both shared a shipping date of 2027 before work on the former was shut down.
Both implementations were meant to be a supplement to the Apple Intelligence feature set, and more specifically Visual Intelligence in this case. Though in this specific field, the report notes that the company is ramping up work on its own smart glasses, in a bid to launch a product by 2026. This is said to compete with the existing Meta Ray-Ban glasses as well as the upcoming Android XR devices.
The report notes that the company is still pursuing its ultimate goal of a pair of true AR glasses. This is a goal that company CEO Tim Cook is reportedly adamant on, and with rumours of such a product dating to as far back as 2019. Needless to say, things have not gone as planned since.
(Source: Bloomberg)
