Apple is reportedly planning to add cameras to the Apple Watch to support AI features like Visual Intelligence within the next two years, said Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The company aims to make the Apple Watch more of an AI-focused device by including cameras in future models, allowing it to “see the outside world,” Gurman noted.
This move aligns with Apple’s Visual Intelligence technology, which is also expected to come to AirPods. Currently, Visual Intelligence relies on AI models from ChatGPT and Google, but Apple intends to shift to its own in-house models, Gurman cited. He emphasized that Apple’s long-term goal is to make Visual Intelligence a key feature across its devices, including camera-equipped AirPods and Apple Watches.
Camera Placement and Model Details
For the standard Apple Watch, Apple is working on embedding the camera within the display, possibly using a cutout or under-display technology, though details remain unclear. For the Ultra model, the camera would sit on the side, next to the digital crown and side button, where there’s more space, Gurman explained. He highlighted that Ultra users could easily point their wrist to scan objects.
Visual Intelligence, which debuted on the iPhone 16, uses the phone’s camera to perform tasks like adding event flyer details to a calendar or finding restaurant information. While it currently depends on external AI models, Apple expects to power it with its own technology by 2027, Gurman believes. That’s when these new Apple Watches and AirPods are slated for release, he added.
Timeline and Leadership Changes
Gurman expects the camera-equipped Apple Watch to launch no earlier than 2027, alongside AirPods with cameras. This timeline depends on Apple’s AI team, which recently saw leadership changes. Gurman reported that Mike Rockwell now leads efforts to advance Visual Intelligence and the delayed Siri LLM upgrade, both critical for these wearable features.