Apple is building a wearable AI device described as a pin or pendant, and it can compete with a similar AI product from OpenAI’s Jony Ive. It wasn’t clear if the wearable would actually launch because Apple sometimes cancels projects, but it’s still in the works and could arrive as soon as next year.
1. It will look like an AirTag
Apple’s design plans may change, but rumors suggest a device or pendant that looks like an AirTag. It is described as having a slim, flat, round shape, with an aluminum and glass shell. A physical control button is included on one edge.
Apple wants the final version of the device to be the same size as the AirTag, but because of the hardware inside, it could be bigger.
It sounds like the wearable will be versatile. It can have a clip that can be attached to clothes like a pin, but there is also a hole in the device so it can be worn as a necklace. Rumors refer to both the pin and the pendant.
2. There Will Be Cameras
Apple’s AI wearable will have at least one camera, but rumors are mixed on what the camera will be used for.
Bloomberg says the pin will have a low-resolution camera that provides information about its surroundings rather than a camera for taking photos and videos. The camera will remain on and process visual data, but users will not be able to use it for photos.
Information reports that there will be two front cameras, one with a standard lens and one with a wide angle for capturing photos and videos.
Apple’s AI device will rely heavily on Visual Intelligence, currently an iPhone feature that uses the camera to give users more information about places and things around them.
3. Siri is the Brain
Rumors have described Apple’s wearable as a pin or an AI pendant, because it will rely on artificial intelligence. It’s one of several AI-equipped devices Apple is working on, and will give wearers a way to interact with Siri without using an iPhone.
The camera on the wrist will give Siri insight, and Siri will be able to answer questions about the wearer’s identity or the wearer’s location.
Apple plans to overhaul Siri in iOS 27, turning the personal assistant into a more intelligent chatbot along with Claude, Gemini, and ChatGPT.
4. iPhone required
While the AI wearable will have a chip inside, it will be a smaller chip like the H2 in AirPods. It won’t use a powerful chip, and most of the processing will need to be done on the iPhone.
Pin is not intended to be a standalone device, and will be marketed as an iPhone accessory.
5. Will Listen, But May Not Talk
To listen to voice requests and respond to sounds around the wearer, the AI pin will have a microphone. Apple has yet to decide whether to add a speaker for back-and-forth Siri conversations and audio playback.
In the absence of a speaker, responses can be directed to the wearer’s iPhone, Apple Watch, or AirPods.
Release date
BloombergMark Gurman said this week that wearable AI could see a launch as soon as 2027.