Apple’s Camera AirPods Are Delayed Until 2027—Despite the macOS Leak

Apple has not publicly announced the product, so its final name, specifications, pricing, and release date remain unconfirmed.

What B790 and B798 reportedly mean

Apple is said to be developing two camera-equipped AirPods variants in parallel:

• B790: Reportedly a modified version of AirPods Pro 3 with cameras. Gurman’s latest clarification says it was more recently present on Apple’s roadmap, but it is not coming this year.
• B798: Reportedly the more substantial AirPods Pro 4-with-cameras program. This is the model most closely associated with the earlier 2027 reports.

These are internal codenames, not confirmed retail product names. The distinction matters because some earlier reports about a possible 2026 launch appear to have referred to B790, while the 2027 timeline was associated with B798. The latest reporting indicates that neither version is ready for a 2026 release.

How the cameras could work with Visual Intelligence

The leaked video offers the clearest reported look at the intended user experience. In the demonstration, a person wearing the AirPods holds up a book. The earbuds’ cameras provide visual information to Visual Intelligence, and Siri offers to save the item for later.

That points to a different role from the cameras on a phone. Reports describe them as low-resolution, outward-facing sensors designed to give Siri context about the wearer’s surroundings—not as ordinary cameras for taking photos or recording video.

In practice, the system could allow Siri to:

• identify or interpret objects in front of the wearer;
• answer questions about the surrounding environment;
• recognize text or other visual information; and
• save something the wearer wants to remember later.

The macOS release candidate also reportedly contains an “image stream” reference and a warning that the AirPods should not be covered, including by hair, if the system is to interpret the environment accurately.

The demo therefore shows that Apple has developed a persuasive software concept. It does not establish that the hardware, manufacturing process, certification, privacy controls, or final software package is ready for consumers.

Why the launch slipped to 2027

Public reporting supports a broad explanation, but not a fully verified failure list.

The latest account says Apple is still working through supply-chain and software challenges. Earlier reports also linked the delay to Apple’s prolonged work on Apple Intelligence and Siri.

What the available reporting does not establish is a specific component shortage, a confirmed failed test, or one definitive Siri bug as the sole cause. Design-validation and testing claims have circulated, but the supplied evidence does not provide enough detail to present them as confirmed reasons for the delay.

The safer conclusion is that the project has progressed far enough for Apple to create and distribute a demonstration, while the remaining hardware, supply, and AI-software work is still significant enough to keep it off the 2026 schedule.

Could the AirPods launch with other AI wearables?

The camera AirPods have been reported as part of a wider Apple AI-wearables effort that may also include smart glasses and a wearable AI pendant. Those products are development projects rather than confirmed launch commitments, and the available reports do not establish that they will debut alongside the AirPods.

The broader strategy is clear enough: Apple is exploring devices that can give its AI system more continuous context about the user’s surroundings. The exact products and launch sequence remain uncertain.

The privacy problem Apple would need to solve

Camera-equipped earbuds create a more difficult privacy question than a phone camera because they could be less obvious to people nearby. A person holding up a phone usually signals that recording or photographing may be taking place. Small cameras built into earbuds could observe or analyze surroundings without the same visible cue.

Low resolution would not remove that concern. Even if the sensors were intended only to provide context to Visual Intelligence, they would still be collecting visual information about people, places, objects, and text. Engadget described the concept as a potential surveillance device for precisely that reason.

Before such a product could gain broad acceptance, Apple would need to explain at least four things clearly:

1. When visual capture or analysis is active. A conspicuous hardware or software indicator would be important, especially for people who are not wearing the earbuds.
2. How consent works. Users would need meaningful controls over when the cameras can interpret their surroundings.
3. Where imagery is processed. Apple would need to clarify what stays on the AirPods, what moves to a paired iPhone, and what—if anything—is sent to cloud services.
4. Whether background scanning is possible. Users and bystanders would need understandable limits on continuous or unintended capture.

The supplied reports do not answer those questions. For now, privacy safeguards are an unresolved product requirement, not a confirmed feature set.

Bottom line

Apple’s camera AirPods have moved beyond a purely speculative rumor: the macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate reportedly contains both a product demo and references tied to B790. But the leak revealed a feature prototype, not a launch date.

The latest reported roadmap puts both B790 and B798 outside Apple’s 2026 lineup, with the camera-equipped AirPods project still delayed until 2027. Their proposed value is compelling—letting Siri use low-resolution visual context without requiring the wearer to take out a phone—but the product still has to clear manufacturing, software, testing, and privacy hurdles before the concept becomes a consumer device.