Gurman: Apple is bringing cameras to its Apple Watches

Apple has faced its fair share of adversity with its AI development, but that’s not stopping Cupertino from experimenting with new ideas. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is exploring the idea of adding cameras to its Apple Watch series, which would bring visual intelligence features to its smartwatches.

Visual intelligence allows users and their devices to interact with the world around them via AI. The feature has already made its way on the iPhone 16 series running iOS 18.2 or later. It brings similar functionality to what Google has been doing with Lens for years.

Visual intelligence on iOS

Both the Apple Watch and Watch Ultra are expected to get cameras, with the standard model implementing the module inside the display, while the Ultra is said to get its sensor on the side alongside the crown and power button. Gurman specifies that the camera-equipped Apple Watches may launch by 2027.

An Apple Watch with cameras is not the only wearable in Cupertino’s pipeline, a report from earlier this month suggests Apple is also testing AirPods with built-in cameras which are also set to gain visual intelligence.

Source (paywall)