Apple is working on an AI wearable device that's been described as a pin or a pendant. Apple is experimenting with the device and developed prototypes, but development has been postponed and there's no word on when and if the pin will launch.
We've rounded up everything we know about the AI pin so far.
Design
The pin is similar in size to an AirTag, with a thin, flat, circular disc shape. It features an aluminum and glass shell, and there's a physical control button on one edge. Apple apparently wants the final version of the device to be about the same size as an AirTag, but with the hardware inside, it will be slightly thicker.
Apple will let users attach it to clothing or a bag with a clip, or wear it as a necklace using a hole at the top of the accessory.
The AI pin wirelessly charges like an Apple Watch.
Camera
Apple plans to add a camera to the AI pin, but rumors are mixed on what the camera will do.
Bloomberg says the pin will have a low-resolution camera that gives it info about its surroundings rather than a camera for capturing photos and videos. The camera will be always-on and always recording, but users will not be able to use it for images.
The Information believes there will be two front cameras, one with a standard lens and one with a wide-angle lens for capturing photos and videos.
Apple's AI device will rely heavily on Visual Intelligence, which is currently an iPhone feature that uses the camera to provide users with more information about places and objects around them.
Speaker and Microphone
The AI pin has at least one microphone for speaking to Siri and picking up sounds around the wearer, but Apple has not decided whether to add a speaker for back-and-forth Siri conversations and audio playback.
Siri
Rumors have described Apple's wearable as an AI pin or pendant, because it's going to be reliant on artificial intelligence. It's one of several AI-equipped devices that Apple is working on, and it will give wearers a way to interface with Siri without having to use an iPhone.
The camera on the pin will give Siri insight, and Siri will be able to answer questions about what the wearer is looking at or the wearer's surroundings.
iPhone Reliance
The AI pin will have a dedicated chip inside, but it will be similar to the H2 chip in the AirPods. It's not going to be a high-powered chip, and most processing will be done on the iPhone.
Apple is not designing the AI pin to be a standalone device, and it will instead be marketed as an iPhone accessory. Bloomberg said some Apple employees see it as the "eyes and ears" of the iPhone.
Competition
OpenAI is also rumored to be working on an AI device through its collaboration with former Apple designer Jony Ive. OpenAI's device will be powered by ChatGPT, and it could launch in 2027. Rumors suggest that it's a small, pocket-sized non-wearable, but it would still compete with a similar AI wearable from Apple.
Other wearable AI devices like the $700 Humane AI Pin have failed, but the Humane pin was developed as a standalone device rather than an accessory to an existing product like the iPhone.
Apple's Other AI Wearable Work
Apple is working on AirPods that have a built-in infrared camera that's meant to gather information about the wearer's surroundings, similar to the pin. Development on the AirPods is further along, and rumors suggest we could see a camera-equipped version of the AirPods Pro in late 2027. Apple is also exploring a screen-free fitness tracker and AI smart glasses. The fitness tracker would compete with the Whoop band, offering a longer battery life and fitness capabilities without notifications.
The smart glasses would compete with the Meta Ray-Bans. The glasses will have a high-resolution camera system able to capture photos and videos, plus a second camera that feeds visual data to Siri AI for environmental context. The glasses won't have an embedded display in the lens, but will have deep integration with Siri.
Launch Date
Work on the AI pin has been postponed, and there is no word on when the device might launch.
