News Reporter | NUPIAO
So, here’s the deal — Apple just dropped a fresh beta of macOS Tahoe 26.7, and curious developers digging through its internal files stumbled upon something big: a built-in demo video and dozens of hardware codenames that were never meant to see the light of day. The result? A whole wave of unreleased product clues spilling out into the open.
The most eye-catching discovery? A demo video for the B790 — that’s the camera-equipped AirPods everyone’s been whispering about. The short clip shows how users can rely on AirPods to save real-world scenes using Apple’s visual intelligence tech, all without ever pulling out their phone.
In the video, Siri’s voiceover says: “With visual intelligence, your world becomes saveable. See something you like? Just tell me, and I can save it for you to check out later.” The system also proactively reminds users: “To get the most accurate info about objects around you, make sure your AirPods aren’t covered.”
Here’s the interesting part — the sensor module on these earbuds isn’t meant for snapping photos or shooting video. Its real job is to act as Siri’s “eyes,” capturing low-res environmental visual data and feeding it to the AI assistant for scene understanding. You won’t get any viewable photos or video files out of it — pure assistive tech, not a camera in the traditional sense.
After the video surfaced, Mark Gurman — the tech journalist who’s been tracking Apple’s supply chain for ages — took to social media and said, “This is the camera AirPods, plain and simple.” Back in May, he’d already reported that Apple’s camera-equipped AirPods prototype had entered the DVT (Design Validation Test) phase, with testers actually using the devices. The hardware design and features were close to final. For context, typical electronics development goes through EVT (Engineering Validation), DVT (Design Validation), PVT (Production Validation), and finally MP (Mass Production).
Multiple sources now indicate that these test AirPods have camera modules built into both the left and right earbuds. To fit the sensors and lenses, the stem is slightly longer than the AirPods Pro 3, while the overall look keeps Apple’s signature design language — just tweaked where needed for the hardware bump. Users can simply ask by voice about objects in front of them — say, pointing at ingredients and asking for cooking ideas — for hands-free, real-time interaction. The whole experience is essentially an AI visual Q&A service, but designed for on-the-go, no-touch usage.
On the privacy front, Apple’s got it covered — the earbuds include a tiny LED indicator that lights up automatically when visual data is uploaded to the cloud, letting you know the camera is working.
Gurman also mentioned that Apple is running two parallel camera AirPods projects internally. One version, codenamed B798, has been pushed back to 2027. But the other — the B790 — seems to be moving faster. Info about it has already shown up in iOS 27 code, and it’s on Apple’s internal roadmap, with a possible release as early as this year.
The macOS Tahoe 26.7 system resources are hiding a ton more hardware codenames too — most are just internal codes with no public product names attached. On the audio front, the system references a fourth-gen AirPods Pro and two Beats headphones, which means Apple’s next-gen audio lineup is already being prepped at the software level.
On the phone side, the files reveal codenames for the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, the long-rumored foldable iPhone Ultra, the standard iPhone 18, and the iPhone Air 2 — all matching what was dug up in iOS 27 beta 5.
Home hardware clues are just as dense: a brand-new Home Hub smart home device, its homeOS system codenamed “Pebble,” a new HomePod mini, a home security gadget, and the rumored desktop robot — all leaving system references behind. Even a new Apple TV remote, two iPad mini models that might be water-resistant, and a next-gen Vision Pro headset have been spotted by developers in the system resources.
The beta code also points to two brand-new iMacs and four new MacBook Pros. Market watchers believe these include the long-rumored OLED-screened high-end MacBook Pro and a 14-inch entry-level MacBook Pro with an M6 chip. And on top of all that, there are dozens of unknown codenames in the beta that don’t match any existing rumors — suggesting Apple’s got plenty more projects in the pipeline that outsiders haven’t even guessed at yet.
This isn’t the first time Apple’s had a massive product leak this year. Back in late June, a hacker extortion group called World Leaks breached Indian company Tata Electronics’ servers, swiping 630GB of internal files — over 200,000 confidential documents — and dumped them on the dark web. It’s been one of the biggest supply chain leaks Apple’s faced in recent years.
That leak included iPhone 18 Pro motherboard schematics, A20 Pro chip documentation, self-developed C2 baseband materials, component pricing, supplier lists, and factory drop-test videos — basically laying bare Apple’s hardware supply chain. The Indian government launched an investigation into the cyberattack, and Apple started its own supply chain security review, though it never publicly commented on the incident.
With Apple’s September fall launch event just weeks away, expectations are running high that this will be the company’s biggest hardware showcase of the year. The iPhone 18 Pro series and the foldable iPhone Ultra are both expected to make an appearance, while the standard iPhone 18 might be pushed to a spring 2027 release.
