Apple could be gearing up to enter the AI wearable arms race with a discreet, pin-sized device designed to see and hear the world around you.
According to a report from The Information, Apple is developing an AI-powered wearable roughly the size of an AirTag. The device is described as a “thin, flat, circular” disc made from aluminium and glass, with cameras and microphones built in to capture a user’s surroundings.
The report claims the pin would feature two cameras, a standard lens and a wide-angle lens, alongside three microphones, a small speaker, a physical button on the edge and support for wireless charging via a magnetic inductive system similar to the Apple Watch. Engineers are reportedly aiming to keep it AirTag-sized, albeit slightly thicker.
Development is said to be in the very early stages, meaning the project could still be binned off. That said, sources suggest Apple is targeting a potential launch as early as 2027, as it looks to speed things up in order to compete with rival AI hardware expected from OpenAI.
This report comes during a time when Apple is in the middle of a wider AI reset, with a major Siri overhaul supposedly on the way. The company has already announced a partnership with Google to use Gemini as the backbone of a more personalised Siri, while Bloomberg has claimed Apple plans to turn Siri into a full chatbot experience across iPhone, iPad and Mac later this year.
If the pin ever sees the light of day, it would drop Apple into a market that has so far struggled to find its footing. Humane’s much-hyped AI Pin failed to gain traction and was ultimately shut down after selling fewer than 10,000 units, with criticism aimed at its slow performance and poor battery life.
That hasn’t stopped big players from trying again. OpenAI, working with former Apple designer Jony Ive, is also rumoured to be developing its own AI device, while companies like Motorola continue to experiment with similar concepts.
Whether an Apple-made AI pin would succeed is far from certain. Much will depend on how good Apple’s next-generation Siri actually is, and whether it can offer something genuinely useful, rather than another clever gadget in search of a problem.
For now, it’s one to file alongside the long list of Apple wearable rumours. But if anyone can make a tiny AI pin feel inevitable, it’s probably Apple.
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