Over-the-ear headphones with cameras as a stopgap AR form factor

Display-less smart glasses with a camera will probably be the most imminent form factor for augmented reality. The world-facing camera and other electronics will only get smaller so they’ll probably approach regular — albeit of a thicker style — frames sooner than later. It’s not hard to imagine existing wearers of glasses to switch and get the benefits of an always-ready camera for both pictures and visual search queries (Google Lens), as well as headphones.

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However, as an alternative, I propose over-the-ear headphones that have world-facing cameras. The form factor is inherently bigger, thus allowing for a bigger battery that primarily allows for more always-on camera capabilities that sleek glasses won’t be able to match given the power constraints for the foreseeable future. You also get a larger touch surface for those that prefer interacting with taps and swipes over voice.

For its part, Apple is rumored to be working on AirPods with cameras, but my hypothetical form factor allows for much better specs with fewer engineering constraints.

I imagine something like having AR Live View run in Google Maps for the duration of your walking directions. Something like that on glasses would warm up the device and greatly impact all-day battery life.

This opens interesting avenues when exploring the world and having the camera be able to point out interesting things. Meanwhile, Google has Project Guideline that uses a phone camera to let “people who are blind or low-vision to run independently.”

…put on a harness with a Pixel phone and headphones. The app then used machine learning to identify and scan a clearly marked line, sending instant audio feedback — basically beeping people onto the right track.

It also seems to me that you can more easily put a modern-day rear flagship smartphone camera with optical image stabilization into over-the-ears compared to glasses. (I imagine the camera discreetly going into one of the headphone cups.) This is great for those that want to take POV shots, or even stream video.

I am very bullish on true augmented reality glasses with high-resolution displays that augment your vision so well that it replaces everything from smartphone to laptop and desktop displays.

However, the strongest bear case I’ve seen for the form factor is that some people simply don’t like wearing glasses as a matter of personal preference. That’s before you factor the technology trade-offs of the next 5-10 years that add weight/bulk and don’t have that much utility. In comparison, over-the-ear headphones are less disruptive, while today’s transparency modes are nearly indistinguishable from having nothing in your ear.