Technologies

The Ultimate AI Wearable Is a Piece of Tech You Already Own

Commentary: Tech companies are trying to give us dedicated AI devices. There’s no need — we all have them already.

In some quarters, the rise of AI has sparked the urge to invent all-new devices, which are deeply invested in that technology but which look and function differently from any products we’ve owned before.

These range from head-mounted XR devices, such as headsets and glasses, to pins, necklaces, phone accessories and whatever mystery product former Apple designer Jony Ive and OpenAI are developing in secret.

But what if, in pursuit of these new devices, we overlook the fact that the ultimate AI form factor is something we all already own? It could even be that the best way to deploy AI is through tech that dates back to the 19th century.

I’m talking about headphones.

There hasn’t been a lack of evolution in personal audio over the years, but integrating AI into headphones is giving them a new lease on life, says Dino Bekis, vice president of wearables at chipmaker Qualcomm. We’re starting to see this with devices like Apple’s new AirPods Pro 3.

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The impact of AI on headphones will be twofold, says Bekis. First, it will build on improvements we’ve already seen, such as the ability to easily switch among active noise cancellation, transparency and other listening modes.

Instead of that being something we need to control manually, the headphones themselves will increasingly handle it all dynamically. Sensors on board, layered with AI, become more adept at reading and understanding our immediate surroundings.

Bekis says that maybe your headphones could alert you to someone trying to get your attention by recognizing your name being called, even if you’re listening to music with ANC enabled. If you’re on a call, walking along a busy street, they could alert you to traffic dangers, sirens or someone who might be walking close behind you.

But where he really sees AI headphones coming into their own is in the interactions you’ll have with AI agents. These personal assistant-like versions of artificial intelligence will operate autonomously with our devices and services on our behalf.

There’s no more «natural way» than conversation to interact with them, he says, and the high-quality mics and speakers in your headphones will allow for clear and effective communication.

«Earbuds or headphones are really yesterday’s technology that’s suddenly been reinvented and is becoming the primary way we’re going to be interfacing with agents moving forward,» says Bekis.

Headphone-makers, meet AI

Not all headphones are on the verge of transforming into wearable AI assistants, and the situation is not the same across the board. Many legacy headphone companies are «entrenched in their core focus of audio quality and audio file capability,» says Bekis.

At the same time, Bekis says Harman-owned high-end audio brand Mark Levinson is one headphone maker Qualcomm is working with on integrating AI into its products. And smartphone manufacturers who also have audio products in their lineup are at the forefront of the charge.

You only need to look at the new capabilities that Samsung, Google and Apple have bolstered their headphones with over the past few years. In addition to adaptive audio, the companies are starting to add AI-specific features. Google’s Pixel Buds 2 are engineered not just as an audio device but as hardware with the company’s Gemini AI assistant at the core (you could say «Hey, Google» to activate Gemini and ask it to summarize your emails, for example).

In September, Apple introduced AI-powered live translation with the AirPods Pro 3. The AirPods will parse what someone is saying to you and play it in your chosen language in your ear. They will also pick up your speech and translate it so that you can show the other person a transcript in their language on your phone screen.

Apple also seems to be searching for ways to further tap the AI potential of its headphones range. A report from Bloomberg earlier this month suggested that the company might introduce AI-powered infrared cameras with the next version of the AirPods Pro, which could be activated by and respond to gestures.

It’s clear that smartphone-makers can see the potential in headphones to be more than just audio products, in the same way they once recognized that the phone could be more than simply a device for making calls. They might even turn headphones and earbuds into what I think could be the ultimate AI wearable.

Why headphones?

The biggest argument for headphones over other emerging AI-focused wearable tech is their popularity: Who doesn’t own at least one pair? (My feeling is that everyone should own at least three different styles, each with its own strengths.) It’s just not the same with glasses or watches.

Yes, they are common and familiar, but the likelihood is that if you don’t already wear them regularly, the addition of AI is unlikely to persuade you. Glasses, in particular, have drawbacks, including battery life. There’s also the difficulty of combining the tech with prescription lenses and privacy concerns due to the addition of cameras.

After well over a decade of effort, tech companies are also still struggling to make smart glasses as sleek and comfortable to wear as their non-smart counterparts (the Meta Ray-Bans perhaps being the one exception to the rule here).

Smartwatches and fitness bands, meanwhile, have become more comfortable, but many people still find them cumbersome for sleeping. The sensors in them are too far away from our faces, where we receive the majority of our sensory inputs, to comprehend the world around us with forensic detail. They cannot relay sensory feedback to us without us having to look at a screen. The same is true for rings and other smart jewelry.

There are no devices that rival headphones, and earbuds in particular, for sheer proximity to a major sensory organ capable of both inputting and outputting complex sensory data. They have been and remain discreet, easy to take on and off, and not overly power hungry or demanding when it comes to charging frequency.

«Critically, there’s the social acceptance level of this as well, where, ultimately, headphones have become incredibly commonplace,» says CCS Insight Analyst Leo Gebbie.

They don’t insert a noticeable barrier between you and the world you’re experiencing. Plus, even when they’re obvious, they don’t tend to put people on edge over concerns you could be capturing their image, and you don’t need to learn how to use them, Gebbie says.

«Contrast that with something like smart glasses, where I think there is a whole new set of user behaviors that would need to be learned in terms of exactly how to interact with that device,» he says. «Also, there’s kind of a social contract, which, for me, at least with smart glasses, has always been one of the biggest stumbling blocks.»

What’s more, headphones have been getting gradually smarter all this time without most of us even noticing.

This invisible evolution is the closest tangible expression I’ve seen of the widespread belief among tech leaders that AI should be a subtle, ambient force that permeates our lives as inconspicuously as possible.

Headphones are an established product that shows consistent growth, making them the safest bet for companies that want as many people as possible to engage with AI through wearable tech.

Multiple forecasts, including from SNS Insider and Mordor Intelligence, estimate the global market for headphones will grow to over $100 billion by the early 2030s. By contrast, Mordor forecasts the smart glasses market will grow to $18.4 billion in the same period, one of the higher estimates I found.

Companies are always searching out new revenue streams, hence their determination to explore new kinds of AI devices, says Gebbie. But, he adds, «headphones definitely feel like a safer bet, because it’s a form factor that people are familiar with.»

It may well be the case that no single wearable device will define our coexistence with AI, and if there is, it will be a device of our choosing.

But rather than reinvent the wheel, I strongly suspect the companies embracing the potential of headphones will see these formerly audio-focused devices fly in the age of AI. And perhaps it’s just personal preference, but I’m on board.

Technologies

Prime Video Hits Pause on Error-Filled AI Recaps

People reported the AI tool struggling with interpreting key scenes properly.

Amazon launched a limited beta of AI-generated Video Recaps for selected in-house Prime Video shows last month — titles like Fallout, Jack Ryan, The Rig, Upload and Bosch. But now the feature has made a generative AI about-face, with reports of it being removed from the app after fans found errors in the Fallout recap and posted about them online.

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The Video Recaps feature stitches together video clips, audio effects, snippets of dialog, music and an AI-generated voiceover narration. According to Amazon, it «analyzes a season’s key plot points and character arcs to deeply understand the most pivotal moments that will resonate with viewers as they enter the next season.»

But as reported earlier by GamesRadar, a viewer recently posted in the r/Fallout subreddit that the season one recap incorrectly dated Cooper Howard’s flashbacks to 1950 when they were actually set in 2077.

«‘Cooper offers Lucy a choice in the finale: die, or join him’ phrased as if he’d be the one to kill her,» another viewer posted on X, describing one of the other AI errors in the recap.

Several outlets then noted that the recap option in the app seems to have disappeared. CNET Senior Editor Corinne Reichert’s app still displays the recap option, but nothing happens when it’s clicked.

As someone with a terrible memory, I would really, really like these types of features to work. Hope springs eternal, I guess.

Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, Dec. 13

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Dec. 13.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? It’s so long, it’s almost not a mini version today. Read on for the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Field trip vehicle
Answer: BUS

4A clue: Peter’s antagonist, in a musical tale
Answer: WOLF

8A clue: «Keep me posted,» in texts
Answer: LMK

9A clue: Opera solo
Answer: ARIA

10A clue: ___Pen (emergency device)
Answer: EPI

11A clue: With 12-Across, gets in order
Answer: SETS

12A clue: With 14-Across, what a tennis champ might win a match in
Answer: STRAIGHT

14A clue: See 12-Across
Answer: SETS

15A clue: «A long time ___ in a galaxy far, far away …»
Answer: AGO

16A clue: Shy and gentle
Answer: MEEK

17A clue: Prefix with apology or answer
Answer: NON

18A clue: Comes to a close
Answer: ENDS

19A clue: Have to pay
Answer: OWE

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: «Goodness gracious!»
Answer: BLESSME

2D clue: Indefinitely many, informally
Answer: UMPTEEN

3D clue: Avoided, as an issue
Answer: SKIRTED

4D clue: «Now, where ___?»
Answer: WASI

5D clue: Green topping at a pizza parlor
Answer: OREGANO

6D clue: John who played Churchill on «The Crown»
Answer: LITHGOW

7D clue: Sneaky trick to «pull»
Answer: FASTONE

13D clue: Doesn’t just assume one has permission
Answer: ASKS

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Technologies

Apple Watch Series 11 vs. Series 10: Are the Differences Enough to Justify Upgrading?

At first glance, the new Apple Watch Series 11 looks a lot like its previous-year model. We compare the specs to see what’s changed.

If you’re looking at getting an Apple Watch this holiday season, you have a tough choice: Should you buy the latest Apple Watch Series 11, or find a Series 10 that has most of the same features at a lower cost? Apple made incremental changes to its flagship smartwatch, while also introducing significant improvements to the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3.

There are still enough differences to make you look twice at moving up (especially if you’re coming from an older model). Let’s compare the models side by side and tease out the finer details.

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Pricing the Apple Watch Series 11

The Series 11 has kept the same price as the Series 10. It starts at $399 for the model with an aluminum body or $699 for one made of titanium.

Add $30 for the larger 46mm case size in aluminum, or $50 for titanium. Opting for a model with a cellular radio that connects independently to networks adds $100. And if you choose a band made of something other than rubber or textile — a stainless steel link bracelet, for example — the price climbs further. Unfortunately, you can’t order just the watch case; you have to select a new band, even if it ends up in your drawer in favor of one you already own and prefer.

There’s also a titanium Apple Watch Hermès model available in silver titanium in both sizes that starts at $1,249.

Apple no longer sells the Series 10, since the Series 11 replaces it, but you can still find refurbished Series 10 models for less from Apple, and new models from other retailers while supplies last.

Apple Watch Series 11 vs. Series 10: Outward design

The Series 11 and Series 10 share the same case design and materials. The larger model measures 46mm tall by 39mm wide, while the smaller comes in at 42mm by 36mm. (Kudos to Apple for continuing to offer two sizes to accommodate people with different-sized wrists.) They’re also both 1mm slimmer than the Apple Watch models that came before, at 9.7mm.

Despite being mostly the same in dimensions, the Series 11 is slightly heavier than the Series 10. For example, the 46mm aluminum GPS Series 11 weighs 37.8 grams, up slightly from 36.4 grams for the Series 10. The 42mm versions come in at 30.3 grams and 30.0 grams, respectively.

For colors, the Series 11 adds a space gray aluminum option to go along with rose gold, silver and jet black. Both models are also available in titanium finishes of slate, gold and natural.

The physical controls are unchanged: the dial that Apple calls the Digital Crown and a side button (that Apple cleverly calls the «side button»). Only the Apple Watch Ultra includes a third physical control: the Action button.

Also noteworthy: The titanium Series 11 is made of 100% recycled titanium, up from 95% recycled material in the titanium Series 10. The display glass is made of 40% recycled glass in the Series 11; no amount is listed for the Series 10. And the battery in the Series 11 uses 100% recycled cobalt and 95% recycled lithium. (The Series 10 lists only 100% recycled cobalt.)

Series 11 vs. Series 10 screens

The screens on both the Series 11 and Series 10 watches have a wide-angle LTPO 3 OLED display. That means it’s easier to see the contents from an angle, and the always-on display refreshes once per second, allowing the seconds counter to move even when the watch is in inactive mode.

LTPO3 screens are also more power efficient. The screens reach up to 2,000 nits for clear visibility in sunlight and dim down to just 1 nit in darkness.

The key difference between the Series 11 and Series 10 screens lies in the glass covering. On the Series 11 aluminum models, Apple uses Ion-X glass, which it claims is twice as scratch-resistant as the glass on previous aluminum versions. The titanium Series 11 uses a sapphire crystal display.

Apple Watch processor and chips

Normally we’d highlight how the new processor improves on its predecessor, but for 2025 Apple stuck with the same S10 processor found in the Series 10. That also means the other chips remain the same, too: the W3 Apple Wireless chip, the second-generation Ultra Wideband chip (for precise Find My location tracking), a four-core Neural Engine and 64GB of storage.

Battery power: Series 11 vs. Series 10

Battery life is where the two models get really interesting. Apple doesn’t reveal how large the built-in lithium-ion battery is or its capacity, but it is claiming up to 24 hours for the Series 11 compared to 18 hours for the Series 10. In Low Power Mode, that’s up to 38 hours for the Series 11, up from 36 hours in the Series 10.

It’s not entirely clear where Apple squeezed an extra six hours of battery life out of what appears to be mostly identical hardware. Both phones use the same S10 processor, though there are likely software optimizations in WatchOS 26. CNET lead writer Vanessa Hand Orellana found that, at least initially, Apple may be undercounting the battery performance, writing in her review, «With notifications turned on (heavy Slack-ing and texting), at least one 30- to 45-minute outdoor workout a day, a full night of sleep tracking and some mild flashlight use, I’ve consistently managed to squeeze between 27 and 32 hours per charge.»

As for charging the watches, both the Series 11 and Series 10 can be charged up to 80% in about 30 minutes. Apple says that with a 20W power adapter, 15 minutes of fast charging provides up to 8 hours of regular use, while just five minutes is enough for eight hours of sleep tracking — thanks to the watch’s much lower power demands while you’re asleep. Apple’s comparison information for the Series 10 doesn’t list those last two metrics, but that seems more due to it being a marketing point last year versus a new capability in the Series 11.

Comparing the sensors of the Series 11 and Series 10

The Apple Watch’s sensors power health features that range from heart-rate monitoring to depth sensing to precise location tracking. That said…

They’re identical in the Series 11 and Series 10. No changes here.

Another change: Connectivity in the Series 11 and Series 10

One of the more notable changes in the cellular models of the Series 11 is support for 5G networks, specifically a power-efficient type called 5G Reduced Capacity (or 5G RedCap). That allows it to connect to both 5G and LTE networks without having to go through a connected iPhone, and the 5G speeds should be better. By comparison, the cellular Series 10 supports LTE and UMTS (3G).

Part of incorporating 5G into the Series 11 models is a redesigned cellular antenna and an algorithm that «simultaneously engages the two system antennas when needed, significantly increasing the signal strength,» according to Apple’s Series 11 press release. That algorithm is exclusive to the Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3, per Apple.

Both Apple Watch models support Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) at 2.5GHz and 5GHz speeds. (Apple’s comparison page only lists the speeds for the Series 11, but an Apple Watch Wi-Fi support page notes 5GHz has been supported since the Series 6 watches.)

Both watches talk to the iPhone and other peripherals using Bluetooth 5.3.

WatchOS 26 on the Apple Watch Series 11 and Series 10

The new features of WatchOS 26 come to both watch models, including hypertension notifications, Sleep Score and the Blood Oxygen app (making its reappearance in the US amid an ongoing legal dispute). Apple’s comparison page lists the new Wrist Flick gesture for the Series 11 but not the Series 10, but that must be a typo because I can confirm that it works on my Series 10 watch.

Apple Watch Series 11 vs. Apple Watch Series 10

	Apple Watch Series 11	Apple Watch Series 10
Design & sizes	Rectangular, 42mm, 46mm	Rectangular, 42mm, 46mm
Display	42mm: 446 x 374 pixels, LTPO3 OLED Retina display, Wide-angle OLED 46mm: 416 x 496 pixels, LTPO3 OLED Retina display, Wide-angle OLED	446 x 374 ppi, LTPO3 OLED Retina display, Wide-angle OLED
Brightness	Between 1 and 2000 nits	2000 nits
Thickness & weight	46mm size: 9.7mm; 37.8g (aluminum), 36.9g (aluminum GPS+Cellular), 43.1g (titanium) 42mm size: 9.7mm; 30.3g (aluminum), 29.7g (aluminum GPS+Cellular), 34.6g (titanium)	9.7mm; 30-41.7g (46mm titanium model)
Material & finish	Aluminum: jet black, rose gold or silver finish; titanium: slate, gold or natural finish	Aluminum: jet black, rose gold or silver finish; titanium: slate, gold or natural finish
Durability	5ATM Water + IP6X (dust)	5ATM Water + IP6X (dust)
Battery life	Up to 24 hours, up to 38 hours Low Power (always-on) + Fast charge: 80% in 30 min, 100% in 60 min	24-30 (always-on) + Fast charge: 80% in 30 min, 100% in 60 min
Sensors	ECG, 3rd-gen optical heart sensor, skin temp, depth gauge, SpO2, Noise monitoring, water temperature, compass	ECG, heart rate, skin temp, depth gauge, SpO2, Noise monitoring
Emergency features	Satellite SOS, Emergency SOS, Fall detection, Crash detection, Check in and Backtrack	Emergency SOS, Fall detection, Crash detection, Check in and Backtrack
AI & coaching	Siri (voice assistant); Workout Buddy	Siri (voice assistant); Workout Buddy
Processor	S10 SiP with 64-bit dual-core processor, W3 Apple wireless chip	S10 SiP with 64-bit dual-core processor, W3 Apple wireless chip
RAM/Storage	64GB (storage)	64GB (storage)
Payments	Apple Pay	Apple Pay
Price (US)	$399-$750 (titanium)	$399-$750 (titanium)