Apple Accidentally Leaks Camera-Equipped AirPods Demo in macOS Tahoe

A new video discovered inside the macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate provides a first look at Apple’s rumoured upcoming camera-equipped AirPods.

The short demo, discovered by MacRumors’ contributor Aaron, shows a user holding up a book so the built-in cameras on the AirPods can read the title. A voiceover explains that the hardware works directly with Visual Intelligence to let users save items for later or ask Siri questions about their immediate environment.

System files also reveal specific setup instructions, including an alert that prompts wearers to keep their ears clear of hair to ensure the cameras capture accurate information.

Internally codenamed B790, the new model is expected to be unveiled as early as next month alongside the iPhone 18 Pro series and Apple’s long-rumoured foldable iPhone.

I don’t know if this is something that people actually need, but any new features to AirPods like this will likely come with a price increase. It will be interesting to see how well this works in practice and also if there are any privacy implications of AirPods being able to see anything you have in front of you.