Internally, Apple’s smart glasses are known as "N50," continuing the company’s tradition of using cryptic codenames for major hardware projects123. The N50 moniker has popped up repeatedly in reports and leaks, signaling a clear focus on a new wearable category distinct from Apple’s previous efforts. This codename marks the device as a separate line from the iPhone or Apple Watch, and it’s being used across internal documentation and in communications with suppliers and partners234. While codenames like N50 don’t reveal technical details, they do serve as a handy shorthand for tracking the project’s progress as it inches toward a potential launch window, reportedly targeted for 202754.

Visual Intelligence is set to be the star of Apple’s upcoming smart glasses, leveraging AI to analyze the wearer’s surroundings and surface contextual information in real time-think instant identification of businesses, objects, or even event details, all without ever pulling out your phone123. This feature, already making waves on recent iPhones, will migrate to the glasses and potentially future AirPods, allowing users to point, look, or simply walk by something and receive relevant data, such as restaurant hours, reviews, or plant species, right in their line of sight or through audio cues456.

Key capabilities expected include:

• Scanning the environment to recognize places, objects, and text for on-the-spot insights.

• Translating and summarizing signs or documents in the user’s field of view.

• Providing accessibility enhancements, like reading aloud or describing surroundings.

• Integrating with Siri for hands-free queries and suggestions based on visual context.

Unlike full-fledged AR, Visual Intelligence won’t overlay digital objects onto the real world, but instead acts as a discreet, AI-powered assistant-always ready to help, but never in your face789.

The addition of infrared cameras to AirPods isn’t just a technical flex-it’s Apple’s calculated move to supercharge its spatial computing ecosystem. These IR modules, similar to those in Face ID but strictly for sensing, will allow AirPods to work in tandem with headsets like Vision Pro, dynamically enhancing spatial audio based on where you’re looking or moving. Imagine sound that follows your gaze in a virtual concert or movie, making the experience feel uncannily real123.

But the real magic is in the hands-free controls. The IR cameras can detect subtle gestures-think waving your hand to skip a song or adjust volume mid-run-without ever touching your device. This leap in interaction is backed by patents and years of R&D, and with Foxconn set to supply up to 20 million camera modules annually, Apple is clearly betting big on this next-gen wearable tech234. The first wave could hit as soon as 2026, transforming AirPods from simple earbuds into context-aware, gesture-savvy assistants that respond to your every move.