Over the past few years, we’ve been seeing AI pins from time to time, many of which haven’t really taken off. Some notable examples include the Rabbit r1 and the Humane AI pin. As a refresher, these AI pins are pocket-sized devices that are meant to be worn on your shirt, and they usually feature cameras and/or microphones, which allow them to act as a digital personal AI assistant.
Now, The Information says that Apple is developing its own solution to compete against other AI pins. Apple has been notoriously behind when it comes to the AI industry with its Siri and Apple Intelligence. Apple announced that Google would be powering the next-generation Siri, and another report from Mark Gurman at Bloomberg claims that Apple is also developing its first Siri-based chatbot for an entirely new experience. It looks like Apple is making its own efforts to play catch-up in the competition for real this time.
According to The Information, Apple’s AI pin is said to be about the same size as an AirTag, which suggests that the shape will be flat and circular. It will feature an aluminum and glass enclosure, two cameras (wide/ultrawide) that will potentially be used for Visual Intelligence, three microphones to handle voice requests, and a built-in speaker to provide Siri’s feedback. Because this device will be round and small, it may use inductive charging similar to the Apple Watch. AirPods 4 (ANC) and AirPods Pro 3 can both be charged using the Apple Watch charging cable as well.
Apple could release its AI pin no earlier than 2027, but since this device is in its very early stages of development, don’t get your hopes up that Apple will really launch this device.
