So it comes to this: Apple is reportedly working on a wearable AI pin. In accordance with Informationit will be a small device with “multiple cameras, a speaker, microphones and wireless charging.” It sounds like the perfect gadget to pair with the long-awaited update to Siri with AI, which will reportedly work as a chatbot. But while many of Apple’s rumors have sparked excitement, the idea of an Apple AI pin sounds more confusing. Worse, it seems that he is desperate.
Apple, a company known for taking its time to jump into new phases with more thought-out solutions than its competitors, is reportedly chasing the idea of an unreleased OpenAI AI pin. Never mind that OpenAI never produced any hardware, and that it arguably stumbled into its position as the leading AI player. And don’t worry that Humane’s AI pin was a famous failure that didn’t work well, and didn’t seem to make sense in the first place.
Of course, Apple doesn’t want more AI egg on its face, after its delayed Siri update and the botched (and flawed) launch of Apple Intelligence. Beyond OpenAI, there is also competition from Ray-Ban’s Meta smart glasses, which rely heavily on the company’s AI. There’s also the looming threat of whatever AI hardware Meta cooks up next, following the dismantling of its original class. And while Google doesn’t have much to show for its Android XR platform, which aims to bring Gemini AI to your face, the Samsung Galaxy XR is a start. We recently saw compelling demos of Google’s AR glasses prototypes and Xreal’s Project Aura glasses.
If Apple’s AI pin works like a Siri router, is it any easier than using an iPhone, AirPods or Apple Watch to do the same? The company reportedly has plans to put cameras on the Apple Watch, too Bloomberg suggests that it chooses instead to focus on introducing its own smart glasses this year. But it’s not hard to imagine that faster hardware could allow the Apple Watch to handle more Siri and AI-related tasks on its own. It is already a sufficient enough device, which allows you to ask Siri basic questions, run applications and listen to music without an iPhone — mobile models are even more capable as they can take calls and send messages.
Rumors also point to infrared cameras coming to the next AirPods and AirPods Pros. Instead of taking pictures, they could enable hand gestures and environmental awareness, which could be useful for Apple Intelligence down the line. The addition of heart rate tracking to the AirPods Pro 3 shows that there are still new features that Apple can bring under wraps, other than listening to music.
Best of all, the Apple AI pin can be an easy way for someone to access Siri if they don’t want to wear an Apple Watch, plug in AirPods or have their iPhone within shouting distance. But at least those devices do other things without talking to Siri. The same is true of Meta’s Ray-Bans and smart glasses of the future. Even without access to AI, they’ll still let you listen to music, take calls and, well, be glasses for those who need prescription frames.
Given the backlash against Ray-Ban’s Meta smart glasses, which are also banned from cruises, clubs and other places, I’m not sure many people would want to prominently display a surveillance device all day. Wired’s Julian Chokkattu was asked about wearing a camera while testing Humane’s AI Pin, and I had to explain to curious people why I was wearing Xreal smart glasses, which include an outstanding camera utility.
Sure, we already live in a panopticon of smartphone cameras, but it’s also noticeable when someone uses their phone to take pictures and video. An AI pin that just dangles from your dress is a constant threat, an unblinking eye. Even if Apple implements some form of notification capture, someone will always try to bypass it.
While Information notes Apple’s AI pin may never see the light of day, I wouldn’t be surprised if it does. This is a company that works with OpenAI just to make Siri appear slowly smart with the start of Apple Intelligence. And instead of building its own home-grown AI models, it’s banking on Google’s Gemini to power Siri’s massive AI development, as well as its future base models. When it comes to AI, Apple will do almost anything to avoid being seen as a straggler (and to avoid further stock drops).
It is really surprising that Apple, a company that allows Samsung and Google to get a head start on foldable smartphones and has not yet jumped into the world of smart rings, is able to accelerate the AI pin of 2027. It’s yet another example of how the AI hype cycle has twisted the fundamentals of the entire tech industry. But at least Apple’s fortunes don’t depend on independent AI hardware like OpenAI.
