Code geometry just ruled out Apple's smart glasses. The stereo camera system buried in iOS 27 beta 2 belongs to AirPods, not eyewear, and it reveals exactly how Apple plans to weaponize Visual Intelligence without requiring users to pull out their iPhones.
Developer Sam Henri Gold found the reference on July 3: a system prompt template inside iOS 27 beta 2 that describes processing "two images from cameras on either side of user's head," handling the left image first, then the right. Gold initially suspected Apple's rumored smart glasses, but the camera positioning tells a different story.
Cameras on the sides of a head match earbuds. Cameras on the front would match glasses.
The hardware carries codename B790. That slots into Apple's internal numbering scheme, AirPods Pro 3 were B788, making the lineage clear.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has reported the codename as B798, but sources suggest the discrepancy could reflect different development stages.
Visual Intelligence is the killer feature here. The same feature that lets iPhone 15 Pro and newer users ask Siri about objects through the Camera app is being re-architected for a hands-free form factor.
The code includes worked examples: recognizing the Eiffel Tower, reading text, identifying a coffee mug. It even has fallback instructions telling the system to request a new image if the original comes out blurry or poorly lit.
Bloomberg's Gurman has floated Apple's internal vision for the product: hold up groceries, and your AirPods could suggest a recipe. The timeline is murky. Earlier reports pointed to a September 2026 launch alongside the 20th anniversary iPhone, but those dates have slipped.
MacRumors cites Bloomberg's estimate of a late 2027 target. One leaker even claimed the project had been suspended entirely, though active software development in a shipping beta directly contradicts that narrative. On the hardware side.
The device is expected to include an LED activity indicator similar to Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses, signaling when cameras are active. The sensors are reportedly infrared-based, akin to Face ID components.
Whether Visual Intelligence processing happens on-device or routes to Apple's servers has not been confirmed.
Pricing remains speculative, with early leaks suggesting a $299 to $349 range, above AirPods Pro 3 at $249, establishing a new "Ultra" tier. No retail availability has been announced for the US or UK.
What makes this leak different from the usual Apple rumor cycle is the evidence: shipping beta code that actively references a product Apple has never acknowledged. That's not a supply chain whisper or an analyst note.
It's software archaeology, and it points to hardware that's further along than the company wants to admit.
