Apple is reportedly exploring a new category of wearable hardware: an AirTag-sized AI pin designed to clip onto clothing and function hands-free without a screen.
After mostly sitting on the sidelines for years, Apple is apparently jumping into the AI game in a big way.
Apple’s AI Pin could be your next wearable
There are predictions that dedicated AI devices will someday replace smartphones. Proponents of the idea point out that a simple AI gizmo could do much of what a phone does now without needing a display because it can simply talk with the user.
Apple is developing just such a device, according to a report published Wednesday by The Information.
People familiar with the project claim the device will rely on cameras — both standard and wide-angle — and multiple microphones. It will allegedly sport a flat, circular chassis of aluminum and glass. While similar in diameter to Apple’s current AirTag item trackers, the “AI Pin” is expected to be slightly thicker to accommodate its advanced internals.
Most importantly, it will feature an on-device AI capable of understanding its surroundings and responding to voice commands. This will likely be the future version of Siri upgraded with conversational AI capabilities, according to a separate report from Wednesday.
Apple is allegedly positioning it as a lightweight companion to the iPhone rather than a replacement. Still, it could be an early foray by Cupertino into a screen-less, hands-free AI computing.
The Information describes the AI pin project as being in early development, but it could be on the market in 2027. Pricing is unknown.
Concept image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac
Doesn’t Apple remember the Humane AI Pin?
The possibility of an Apple AI pin raises immediate comparisons to the Humane AI Pin, a similar device that launched and failed in about a year. With that as an example, many are wondering why Apple is making its own version.
The easy answer is that Apple has repeatedly taken failed product categories and made them into mainstream successes. MP3 players were terrible before the iPod, smartphones were niche gadgets before the iPhone, and tablets were clunky bricks before the iPad. It could happen again with the AI pin. Apple certainly hopes so.
Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 25 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh Classic II (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer. He’s written for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview, and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
