Rumor has it that development of Apple’s camera-equipped AirPods Pro has been halted, according to the leaker and prototype collector known as “Kosutami.”
In a direct message on No further details were provided.
This statement is rather surprising, given that Bloomberg reported in May that the camera-equipped AirPods Pro were almost complete and had reached an “advanced” stage of testing, suggesting that a first mass production could be imminent.
That said, the same report also notes that Apple could also choose to wait until the AirPods launch if it was unhappy with the quality of the Visual Intelligence features in development for Siri.
The AirPods Pro’s built-in cameras are said to transmit visual information about the wearer’s surroundings to Siri. The cameras would not be intended to take photos or videos, but only for AI purposes. “Kosutami” claimed in February that infrared cameras would allow AirPods Pro to be “connected to Apple Intelligence,” and other reliable sources have since corroborated this claim. The new AirPods have been in development for about four years.
Apple reportedly wanted to start selling the camera-equipped AirPods Pro in the first half of 2026, but the product launch was delayed because the smarter AI version of Siri was still under development – it exists in the current iOS 27 beta, but it won’t be widely available until iOS 27 is released in September.
Bloomberg said Apple expected strong demand for the new AirPods Pro and had operations teams working to secure components for a launch under difficult circumstances, due to the industry-wide shortage of memory chips and other silicon. It is unclear if this is the reason behind Kosutami’s claim that the project was put on hold.
Kosutami is best known as a collector of Apple hardware prototypes, but they have occasionally shared specific information about future Apple product plans. For example, about 10 months before the iPhone 16 Pro launched, they rightly revealed that it would feature a metal-cased battery.
They also gave a first look at an Apple Watch band made from Apple’s controversial FineWoven material. However, Kosutami falsely claimed that AirPods Pro 3 was imminent in August 2024.
