A supplier says it has taken part in Apple’s AI glasses and a new pair of smart earphones, though Apple hasn’t announced either product.
Quick Intelligent Equipment, a Chinese maker also known as TCB Devices, told investors that it has taken part in Apple AI glasses and new smart earphone projects. According to a Securities Times report carried by iFeng, the statement came at the company’s Q3 2026 results briefing. The supplier says the work helps drive its precision welding assembly and machine-vision inspection business.
The statement has limits. The supplier didn’t describe its role, the stage of development, or any timing, and it didn’t disclose financial terms or a launch schedule. The Apple Post says the statement “does not establish a production order or guarantee that Apple will release the final device”.
Cameras come from earlier leaks
Android Headlines framed the news as confirmation of Apple’s camera AirPods, but the supplier’s wording says only “new smart earphones”. The Apple Post points out that the reference “does not explicitly mention cameras”, so it can’t independently tie the project to the camera-equipped AirPods in earlier leaks.
Those leaks came partly from Apple itself. According to AppleInsider, a developer beta contained code references and a video clip of the earbuds. We covered the code in macOS Tahoe 26.7’s hints at unreleased Apple devices. In AppleInsider’s description, low-resolution cameras in each earpiece would capture the world around you and feed it to Apple Intelligence on a nearby iPhone. Earlier rumours, cited by Tom’s Guide, had them as infrared cameras for gesture controls and Siri.
What the reports say about the glasses
Apple’s first glasses reportedly skip displays altogether. Android Headlines says they’ll rely on built-in microphones, open-ear speakers, and low-resolution cameras. Those cameras would send real-time context to Visual Intelligence, so Siri can answer questions about your surroundings, translate, or pull up landmark details without a phone screen. The Apple Post says Bloomberg has reported lightweight glasses with cameras, microphones, and speakers to give Siri visual context.
The reports don’t agree on everything. Tom’s Guide, citing Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, expects high-resolution cameras for pictures and video, plus one dedicated to Visual Intelligence. It also says Apple is tipped to offer a range of sizes and styles.
Reported timing
MacRumors and Android Headlines report that Apple is targeting late 2027 for the glasses, and Gurman’s reporting has production starting as soon as December. The AirPods are murkier. Tom’s Guide says they could launch this year, though Gurman also places them at an earlier stage of development than Apple’s rumoured AI pendant. The Apple Post’s earlier reporting said they may have been delayed until 2027, while MacRumors links them to the 20th-anniversary iPhone.
The glasses and earbuds sit inside a wider plan. Gurman describes an AI pendant alongside them, and a leak reported by The Information gives the pendant two cameras, three microphones, a small speaker, and a physical button.
Samsung is further along. Its head of mobile experience officially announced AR glasses for the end of 2026, running Android XR with multimodal AI. For now, Apple’s UAE store offers AirPods 5 at AED 549 and AirPods Pro 3 at AED 949. The AirPods 4 has quietly disappeared from the store. The rest of the range is in our Apple UAE prices guide.
