It was 2013 when Tim Cook made a seemingly innocuous statement at the D11 conference that “the entire sensor industry is going to explode.” Few people suspected at the time that Apple was feverishly working behind the scenes on a smartwatch with medical device features. Today, more than ten years later, Cook is speaking again. And this time, he is talking about Visual Intelligence – technology that sees the world through your eyes.
Apple and Visual Intelligence: A New Era of Wearable AI
Visual Intelligence first appeared in the iPhone 16 Pro in 2024 as part of the Apple Intelligence ecosystem. It works simply: point your phone, take a photo or screenshot, and AI will instantly answer questions about the content. Want to know what is on your plate at a restaurant? No problem. Need to perform a reverse image search through Google? Done in a second.
But Apple is far from finished. The company is developing its own visual models and intends to place this technology at the heart of an entirely new generation of devices. In development are advanced AirPods with cameras, smart glasses, and a computer vision pendant that you will wear around your neck or on your body. The practical use? When walking through a city, the device will not merely tell you to “turn right in 50 meters,” but will say: “Walk past the red café on the corner.” Or it will remind you of a task when you approach a specific object. Apple is currently actively testing this.
At an internal employee meeting, Cook said that Apple has an “undeniable, tremendous advantage” in AI thanks to its base of 2.5 billion active devices. And of the entire Apple Intelligence ecosystem, he singled out Visual Intelligence in particular.
March Product Marathon: Five New Products in Three Days
While Apple traditionally holds major keynote events, the March 2026 launch will be different. No major keynote. Instead, a three-day product sprint – announcements on Monday, March 2, Tuesday, March 3, and Wednesday, March 4, when invited journalists and influencers in New York, London, and Shanghai will get to try the products in person.
What is Apple preparing? At least five products spanning hardware, software, and chips. Store inventories have dried up like water in the desert – and that is always a reliable sign that replacements are coming. Specifically, the following are disappearing:
- iPhone 16e → will be replaced by the iPhone 17e
- iPad Air → will arrive with the M4 chip
- 13" and 15" MacBook Air with M4 → successors are on the horizon
- 14" and 16" MacBook Pro with M4 Pro and M4 Max → an update is coming
The star of the show will most likely be a new low-cost MacBook – a device Apple is designing as a direct competitor to Chromebooks and inexpensive Windows laptops. The event invitation even revealed the colors in which it will arrive. After all, Apple would not invite influencers for a hands-on session if it were merely putting a faster chip into an old body.
iPhone 18 Pro in Red? Apple Is Testing a Bold Color
While the March products have yet to arrive, Apple is already working on the iPhone 18 Pro. And it is preparing a surprise on the color front. Cosmic Orange on the iPhone 17 Pro became an unexpected hit – some people in China compare it to the iconic Hermès orange. Apple will certainly take note of that praise.
For the next generation, Apple is testing a deep red color as the flagship option for the Pro models. Red and orange are fairly close on the color spectrum, so offering both at once could seem confusing – we will see what Apple decides. The foldable iPhone, by contrast, will remain understated: dark gray or black and a variation of white or light silver. Classic, with no experiments.
iOS 26.4: AI Playlists, Video Podcasts, and a Security Upgrade
Apple released the first beta version of iOS 26.4 a week earlier than expected, and this time it is a substantial update. What does it bring?
Video podcasts are getting the new HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) protocol, which enables higher-quality footage, new advertising options, and seamless switching between audio and video modes. The Music app has received a new look for album artwork, AI playlist creation through Apple Intelligence, and the display of concert dates for favorite artists.
The wallpaper chooser has been redesigned – wallpapers are now downloaded from the server as needed, addressing the interface’s previous sluggishness and saving space on the device. And perhaps most importantly: Stolen Device Protection – which requires Face ID to change security settings – is now enabled automatically for all users.
What is missing from iOS 26.4? The new Siri powered by the Gemini model. It has been delayed until at least iOS 26.5, while the advanced chatbot will not arrive until iOS 27.
Apple vs. Meta: The Battle for Smart Glasses
Meta has a head start. Ray-Ban glasses with AI are already on the market, Meta is collaborating with Oakley, and the company plans to add facial recognition – a feature that has sparked a storm of criticism over privacy concerns. Nevertheless, Apple employees working on the company’s first smart glasses are convinced that their product will be better.
Why? Meta uses one camera that switches between modes. Apple is planning dedicated lenses for each individual function, premium materials, and more cameras overall. The ecosystems will differ – Siri versus Meta AI – but Apple is betting on build quality.
And what about the pendant that many compare to the ill-fated Humane Ai Pin? It failed not because of its form factor, but because of its terrible user interface, poor battery life, and nonfunctional holographic projector. Apple’s pendant will be an iPhone accessory, not a replacement for it – and that is a crucial difference.
Cook is preparing us for something big. Just as he did back then with sensors. Just as with AR. This time, it is about AI that sees the world around us – and Apple wants to be the first to put it directly on your body.
Source: bloomberg.com
