Apple may be about to include something unexpected in its AirPods: to get the most out of its Vision Pro headset, the company is adding an infrared camera similar to the one used in the iPhone and iPad Face ID modules While you can't take pictures with the AirPods, the company may be able to get creative with the camera

The report is by noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo According to his report, Apple could bring these new headphones to market as early as 2026, so we may not have to wait too long to hear more about what these headphones can do

Integration with Vision Pro sounds interesting, but only for a small percentage of users who spend huge amounts of money to get Apple headphones However, there could be other features

According to Kuo, the camera can detect changes in the environment He said the camera on the new AirPods "could enable aerial gesture control to enhance human-device interaction" If that becomes a reality, it could provide a new way to control music with AirPods

For example, one could swipe in the air in front of the headphones to skip songs If the camera has the same accuracy and speed as the one used for Face ID, this could be a game-changing upgrade for both Vision headset users and music listeners

Being Apple, I expect that they will find some exciting uses for the AirPod camera We'll have to wait until next year to see what happens, but it looks promising

As expected, Kuo said Foxconn is the "new product introduction (NPI) supplier for the IR camera used in the AirPods"

This report by Kuo comes after Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported in February that Apple may be working on camera-equipped AirPods, smart glasses, and smart rings However, this report did not indicate when these new products would be available from Apple