Apple considering AirPods with camera, smart glasses to compete with Meta

Wearable fitness trackers come in all shapes and sizes, from clunky smartwatches to sleek fitness bands, but their ring-shaped form factor appears to be on the cusp of taking off. Samsung just showed off the Galaxy Ring at MWC 2024, which is said to offer a range of health tracking features. Apple also received a patent last August for a smart ring with tactile feedback and pressure-sensing input. But according to a new report from Bloomberg, the iPhone maker hasn’t started actively developing the device yet. In fact, Apple may be considering launching a new type of smart glasses to compete with Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses and smart AirPods with cameras and advanced sensors.

in his latest edit Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said in the Power On newsletter that Apple intends to expand its wearables lineup, which is currently limited to AirPods, Apple Watch and the newly launched Vision Pro headphones. The company’s plans include smart rings, smart glasses and new AirPods equipped with cameras and smart features.

Gurman said that while Apple has explored making a smart ring with similar health tracking capabilities to the Apple Watch, the Cupertino, California-based tech giant is not actively developing one. However, the ring will be a low-cost alternative to the Apple Watch that pairs with Apple’s health and fitness apps and integrates easily into the Apple ecosystem, giving users another reason not to switch to Android.

Samsung Galaxy Ring was shown off at MWC 2024 earlier this week
Photo credit: Samsung

The company has also reportedly held discussions about developing smart glasses similar to the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses launched last year. Smart glasses may also include cameras, speakers and health sensors, Gurman said. The glasses could replace AirPods, with audio capabilities, a larger battery, more sensors and artificial intelligence capabilities. Apple smart glasses are also less expensive than the Apple Vision Pro, which sells for $3,499.

Additionally, Apple is reportedly considering adding cameras and smart features to AirPods, an already popular product. Gurman said Apple began investigating the possibility of incorporating advanced artificial intelligence, health sensors and cameras into its headphones last year. These cameras can be used to collect data, which will be further processed to help people in their daily lives.

While Apple is exploring the development of these wearable devices, they won’t necessarily be brought to market. The company is also said to be developing a foldable device larger than the iPhone, as well as a new version of HomePod with a touch screen.

Samsung’s Galaxy Ring, on the other hand, may debut in the second half of 2024. The smart ring debuted at the Galaxy Unpacked event on January 17 and was shown off at MWC 2024 this week. The ring is expected to come with health tracking features that are available on the Galaxy Watch — 24×7 heart rate monitor, blood oxygen sensor, sleep monitoring tracker, and other fitness tracking features.