Meta apparently wants to put cameras and AI in headphones – I’ll believe it when I hear them in action
Meta apparently won’t rest until your entire head is covered in his technology. It’s given us VR headsets like the Meta Quest 3 and smart specs like the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, teased Meta AR glasses, and now a leak suggests it’s looking at headphones (or earbuds) with AI features and cameras. Weird, right? I won’t believe it until I see it.
This comes via a new report from The information (it’s behind a paywall). The project is known as the “Camerabuds” because they’re an amalgamation of audio and camera, and they’ll either be a pair of cans or earbuds – Meta is apparently currently exploring both options.
While not much is known about the project, I have to admit that it sounds at least somewhat plausible. The standout feature of Meta AI on the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses is the Look and Ask feature – that’s where you look at something, ask a question about it, and then the spec camera takes a photo to reveal the answer. build. It’s fun, even if it’s not entirely reliable (just like any other AI), and it makes sense that Meta would want to bring it to different devices.
Headphones/earbuds are also a somewhat sensible portable choice. Especially since you can even wear headphones if you have prescription glasses. With smart glasses you have to buy prescription lenses, making them even more expensive for people who need to have their vision corrected.
Problems hearing me?
But the Meta headphones have a number of potential flaws, a few of which the leaked report says Meta is aware of.
First, there’s concern that long hair could block the view of the Meta Camerbud’s cameras – drastically limiting their usefulness for anyone with hair covering their ears. Plus, there are concerns about battery life and heat, which is to be expected when you’re trying to cram a lot of features into a small gadget like headphones or earbuds.
There is also my biggest concern: the audio quality. The audio quality of the Meta Quest 3 is fine, while the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses have speakers that I can’t help but love – the open-ear design causes sound to leak and they lack any kind of presence. They’re fine for calls, but music-wise they’re never my favorite.
Dedicated Meta audio hardware could address these shortcomings, but I’d rather Meta stick to its AI and XR hardware niche and improve the audio performance of its existing lines rather than introduce something completely new.
It also just seems like a bad move to further expand its hardware budget with brand new technology, while Meta’s Reality Labs division (the team likely behind the Camerabuds) doesn’t have the best financial performance at the moment.
As with all leaks, we here at Ny Breaking recommend taking these details with a grain of salt. In any case, I’m skeptical that the Meta Camerabuds will ever see the light of day, but if they do, you can bet I’ll be ready to put them to the test.