Oops: Apple accidentally revealed the next AirPods model
Apple is preparing for its annual announcement event on September 9, but it seems an internal software glitch has revealed one of its most intriguing products ahead of time. A short 13-second demo video, discovered in the Release Candidate version of the macOS 26.7 operating system, reveals for the first time the next AirPods model equipped with built-in cameras. The video, spotted by the MacRumors website, shows the operation of the new visual feature without the company's official confirmation.
Apple is preparing for its annual announcement event on September 9, but it seems an internal software glitch has revealed one of its most intriguing products ahead of time. A short 13-second demo video, discovered in the Release Candidate version of the macOS 26.7 operating system, reveals for the first time the next AirPods model equipped with built-in cameras. The video, spotted by the MacRumors website, shows the operation of the new visual feature without the company's official confirmation.
Siri's eyes in your ears
In the revealed video, a user wearing the headphones is seen picking up a book and asking the voice assistant to remember the item, while Siri's voice declares:
"With Visual Intelligence, your world becomes memorable. See something you like? Just ask me and I'll save it for later."
This is the first confirmation of reports by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who revealed about two years ago that the tech giant from Cupertino is developing headphones capable of decoding visual information from the environment in real time.
In terms of design, the headphones are very similar to the familiar AirPods Pro, but include a thicker stem that houses the additional hardware. The cameras are not intended for taking still photos, but for feeding visual data to Apple's artificial intelligence models. An interesting detail in the system code indicates that the device will warn users with long hair to move it away from their ears, as covering the sensors will impair the accuracy of the information the cameras are able to collect.
Codename B790 and a festive launch
According to reports by Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, the revealed model bears the internal codename B790, and it is intended for an official launch as early as the upcoming iPhone event alongside the company's first foldable iPhone device. At the same time, Apple is developing another advanced camera model (B798) planned for next year. Finding the official documentation within the system files makes the launch next month an almost certain fact, and marks Apple's transition into the world of wearable and interactive computing.
Integrating cameras into tiny headphones is a significant step in the effort of tech giants to replace the traditional use of screens. Similar to the smart glasses introduced by Samsung, Apple is trying to create a personal assistant that accompanies the user and sees what they see. If the launch indeed materializes as planned, the AirPods will turn from a tool for listening to music into a proactive AI agent that analyzes the world around us at any given moment.
