Apple is accelerating the development of AI gadgets, Bloomberg has learned. What is the company preparing?

Apple is forcing the development of three new wearable devices as part of its transition to artificial intelligence-based hardware solutions, Bloomberg reported, citing sources. OpenAI is also working in this direction together with the former Apple chief designer, and Meta Platforms is already selling its smart glasses and helmets.

Apple is accelerating work on smart glasses, pendants that can be clipped to clothing or worn around the neck, and AirPods with advanced AI capabilities, sources told Bloomberg. They claim all three devices are built around the Siri digital assistant, which will use visual context to perform actions. Each of the products will be linked to the iPhone and based on a camera system with different capabilities, the agency's sources claim.

An Apple spokesperson declined to comment to Bloomberg.

Against the background of the Bloomberg report, Apple shares rose by 3.2% to $263.88 at trading on Tuesday, February 17. For comparison, Meta securities were down 1.7% at the moment, although by the end of the day they slowed down to 0.08%. American depositary receipts of EssilorLuxottica, which produces Ray-Ban Meta glasses, fell by 6.5% on the over-the-counter market.

AirPods and the pendant are envisioned as simpler devices equipped with low-resolution cameras designed not to take photos and videos but to support AI work, Bloomberg's interlocutors claim. AirPods could come out as early as this year. Glasses, on the other hand, will be a more premium and feature-rich product, the agency writes, but will not yet have a display, although there are plans to finalize them as well. At a general employee meeting earlier this month, Apple CEO Tim Cook said Apple is working on new "product categories" based on artificial intelligence. "We're extremely excited about that," Bloomberg quoted him as saying.

Despite steady iPhone sales, Apple is lagging behind in AI, the agency notes. Updating Siri remains a major challenge: modernizing the voice assistant has been accompanied by technical difficulties and delays. The company is preparing an iOS 27 version of the assistant for release later this year, which will have a chatbot-like interface. Apple will use the basic models developed jointly with Google.

In the longer term, AI is expected to change the way smartphones are used - with some functions moving to peripherals, Bloomberg notes. Meta glasses have already been a hit, and OpenAI is developing a line of devices, including wearables, with the participation of former Apple design chief Jony Ive and other ex-top managers of the company.

Apple is struggling to find a winning formula in this segment. The last major entry into the new category - the Vision Pro headset - did not resonate widely with consumers, Bloomberg recalls. Now the company is counting on a breakthrough in wearable devices in an effort to keep users within its ecosystem, the agency explains.

In addition to wearable devices, Apple is developing a line of AI products for the home, including a smart display based on an updated Siri and a later version with a larger screen and robotic arm, an updated HomePod speaker and a compact sensor for home security and automation, Bloomberg writes.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor