Tim Cook hints at Apple’s next big shift: visual intelligence and AI wearables

Apple CEO Tim Cook has hinted at what could become the company’s third major product category after the Apple Watch and Vision Pro, AI-powered wearables built around Visual Intelligence. The claim comes from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter.

According to Gurman, despite Apple’s reputation for secrecy, Cook often drops meaningful signals. Back in 2013, well before the Apple Watch launch, he spoke about wearables reshaping the industry, at a time when Apple was quietly developing its smartwatch as a wearable health lab capable of monitoring heart rate, blood pressure, and glucose levels.

Ahead of Vision Pro, Cook repeatedly emphasized the importance of augmented and virtual reality, famously saying in 2016 that AR would become as essential as eating three meals a day.

Visual Intelligence at the core

Cook is now placing the spotlight on Visual Intelligence — an AI capability that can interpret the surrounding environment and act on that context. Apple first introduced Visual Intelligence with the iPhone 16 Pro in 2024 as part of Apple Intelligence. Currently, the feature allows users to snap a photo or screenshot and then ask questions about the content via OpenAI’s ChatGPT or perform reverse image searches through Google.

Apple is developing its own visual models and plans to make the technology central to upcoming AI devices, including advanced AirPods, smart glasses, and a camera-equipped wearable pendant designed to be worn around the neck.

What the tech could enable

As Gurman notes, basic use cases could include photographing a meal and identifying dishes and ingredients. More advanced scenarios involve real-time guidance based on what the device sees — for example, giving landmark-based navigation instead of simple distance instructions. The system could also trigger reminders when a user approaches specific objects or locations.

During the holiday-quarter earnings call, Cook singled out Visual Intelligence among Apple’s features: “One of our most popular features is Visual Intelligence, which helps users learn and do more than ever with the content on their iPhone screen.” In a recent employee meeting, he added that Apple has a “huge advantage” in AI thanks to its installed base of 2.5 billion devices.

“It will still be months or longer before these new Apple devices start appearing. But when they do, it will be clear that Cook was trying to prepare us for what’s next,” Gurman writes.

Apple’s March announcements

Apple’s first major event of 2026 is scheduled for March 4, but the company is reportedly preparing a three-day wave of announcements. Presentations are expected on Monday (March 2), Tuesday (March 3), and Wednesday (March 4), with the final day focused on hands-on product experiences. Apple is branding the March 4 gathering as the Special Apple Experience, with press invited to New York, London, and Shanghai.

At least five products are expected. A sub-$1,000 budget MacBook powered by an iPhone-class chip is widely believed to be among them — the event invite reportedly hints at the device’s color options.

Other expected announcements include:

• iPhone 17e and an M4-powered iPad Air,
• an entry-level iPad with the A18 chip,
• updated MacBook Pro models and a new MacBook Air.
• Updated Mac Studio and a new Apple Studio Display are also expected in the first half of 2026.

iPhone 18 Pro and new colors

Apple is reportedly considering a deep red finish for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. Following the success of the orange iPhone 17 Pro, particularly in China, where it drew comparisons to Hermès orange, the company may keep the orange option while adding red.

For its foldable iPhone, Apple is said to be leaning toward more utilitarian finishes reminiscent of early iPhone models: dark gray or black, alongside white or light silver variants.