Apple Watch may get a camera, but not for the reason you think

It's related to AI, of course.
By
Stan Schroeder
 on 
Apple Watch Series 10
The cameras are reportedly coming, but not until 2027. Credit: Apple

Apple Watch will get a camera in the future, new report claims, but if you're planning to take videos with it — James Bond-style — you may be disappointed.

In the latest edition of his newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman (via 9to5Mac) wrote that Apple is working on turning its Watch into an "AI device with a camera."

The camera would reportedly enable the Watch to "see the outside world," meaning it could use Apple's Visual Intelligence tech to gather information about the outside world to help the wearer in various tasks. Think passing by a train station and getting the day's schedule, for example.

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Both the regular Apple Watch and the Apple Watch Ultra are poised to get the camera, albeit in a different location. On the Apple Watch, the camera could be located under the device's display, and on the Ultra, it would be located on the side, next to the Watch's crown and side button.

More obvious uses for the camera, such as FaceTime conversation, aren't a part of Apple's plans, Gurman claims.

We've heard similar rumors about the AirPods, which could also get AI-enabling cameras in the future.

None of this will happen very soon, though. Gurman says the Apple Watch will not get a camera until at least 2027, and same goes for the camera-enhanced AirPods.

Stan Schroeder
Stan Schroeder
Senior Editor

Stan is a Senior Editor at Mashable, where he has worked since 2007. He's got more battery-powered gadgets and band t-shirts than you. He writes about the next groundbreaking thing. Typically, this is a phone, a coin, or a car. His ultimate goal is to know something about everything.


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