Apple 2027 rumors: AirPods with cameras for AI and the second folding iPhone

Apple is preparing camera-equipped AirPods and a second-generation foldable phone for a 2027 release, according to a Bloomberg report, alongside redesigned iPhone models and a potential chip-production shift toward Intel [1]. The camera-enabled AirPods are internally scheduled for a late 2027 launch and are being tested with the iOS 28 update, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported [1]. The earbuds would carry cameras in their stems and include lights to signal when data is uploaded to the cloud, giving an upgraded Siri "visual context" about a user's surroundings before Apple eventually ships its first smart glasses [1]. A second-generation foldable phone is also expected in 2027, following a first-generation model that Gurman says could arrive this fall [1]. The timeline suggests Apple intends to commit to the foldable category and refine how software uses the additional screen space [1]. Two new iPhone models, internally designated V73 and V74, are described as offering a nearly edge-to-edge display with curved glass that wraps around the sides [1]. The standard iPhone 18 may not launch until 2028, running on an A20-series chip similar to processors planned for phones this fall [1]. The 2027 models would move to a 2nm A21 chip, while the A22 Pro is expected to adopt 1.4nm technology [1]. Apple is considering Intel to handle some production of the A22 Pro alongside its primary supplier TSMC, a shift that would mark a new chapter in the companies' manufacturing relationship [1]. Apple and Intel have a long, cyclical history. The Mac transition to Intel processors, announced at the 2005 Worldwide Developers Conference, moved Apple's computers from PowerPC to x86-64 chips and was completed faster than the original two-year timeline [5]. That architecture powered Macs until Apple began its transition to in-house Apple silicon in 2020, a process that concluded in June 2023 when the last Intel-based Mac Pro was discontinued [6]. The earlier switch from Motorola 68000-series processors to PowerPC in 1994 was the company's first instruction-set architecture change [5]. A potential Intel role in A22 Pro fabrication would not signal a return to Intel-based Macs but would diversify Apple's advanced chip supply chain [1]. On the software side, Apple's platforms continue to face scrutiny over hardware-level security. Research on Data Memory-dependent Prefetchers present in Apple, Intel, and ARM CPUs has shown that secrets can leak even when programs avoid unsafe memory-access patterns [3]. A compiler-based tool called SplittingSecrets was introduced to harden cryptographic libraries by preventing secret data from resembling memory addresses, with performance analysis conducted on Apple M-series CPUs [3]. Separately, a study of WebGPU dispatch overhead across GPU vendors including Apple found that per-operation validation costs range from 32 to 71 microseconds on Metal, and that kernel fusion can improve throughput by 53 percent on Vulkan, though the benefit disappears on CUDA [2]. The findings highlight the performance constraints that AI-driven features such as on-device Siri processing would need to navigate [1][2]. Apple's hardware roadmap arrives as John Ternus takes over as CEO, with a component shortage and the expansion of AI features adding uncertainty to even well-sourced plans [1].