Major Apple Watch changes could finally introduce long-awaited iPhone feature

Apple continues to force us to part with our cash, and with the tech giant keeping us more connected than ever before, a much-requested Apple Watch overhaul could see the peripheral flying off shelves like never before.

While most of the conversation is typically taken up by the release of the next iPhone, it's not the inevitable iPhone 17 or rumors of iPhone 17 Air that could have us saving for another Apple product.

The size of the Apple Watch means space is at a premium, with Apple instead focusing on the core features of a smartwatch. Still, with us able to take the most important parts of an iPhone on the move like never before, some people refuse to be separated from their Apple Watch.

There are obvious differences between the iPhone and the Apple Watch, with one of the biggest being the lack of a camera. That could all be about to change according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, with both a camera and the much-hyped Apple Intelligence apparently coming to a future iteration of the Apple Watch.

Highlighting the recent boom in AI weaerables, Gurman reminds us how the launch of the iPhone 16 heads in this direction. The idea is now to support AI with onboard cameras and microphones to help users be more aware of their surroundings.

Cameras will apparently be 'inside the display' of the standard Series Watch, while the Apple Watch Ultra will feature it near the digital crown and button on the side. Gurman says the new Apple Watch will help you "see the outside world and use AI to deliver relevant information."

Another exciting development is the supposed camera-equipped AirPods.

Gurman claims both these new products won't be launching until 2027, so you've still got a little time to save.

The new Visual Intelligence feature is tethered to the Camera Control interface and uses AI to analyze the world around us. By long-pressing the camera button, you're taken to an interface where you can photograph something and have ChatGPT or Google Search look into it. This also extends to translating text and identifying landmarks.

Although Visual Intelligence is apparently flying under the radar, Gurman reiterates the April release of iOS 18.4 should help boost its profile.

The long-term plan is for Apple to use its own AI models instead of relying on OpenAI and Google. All of these will be helped by sticking a camera in the Apple Watch.

Gurman doesn't have any further details on the specs, although he maintains that the idea of FaceTime on the Apple Watch still feels like it's a way off.

Instead of designing whole new products, Apple is set to just enhance existing products that we already know and trust. Still, Gurman notes that Apple needs to improve its AI before achieving any of this.

With two years potentially until we get a camera-equipped Apple Watch, the tech giant can hopefully iron out the kinds before then.