The sci-fi dream of universal translation just got real. Apple, Google, and Meta are rolling out AI-powered devices that translate conversations in real-time, turning AirPods, Pixel phones, and Ray-Ban glasses into Star Trek-style universal translators. With Apple's AirPods Pro 3 launching next week at $250, the race is officially on to dominate this emerging market.
Science fiction just became reality in the most unexpected way. During Apple's iPhone event Tuesday, the company showed a tourist in Spain buying flowers - hearing the Spanish-speaking florist's pitch about "50% off red carnations" translated instantly into perfect English through her AirPods. No delays, no awkward pauses, just seamless conversation across language barriers.
This isn't some distant tech demo. Apple's Live Translation feature launches next week with the $250 AirPods Pro 3, supporting French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, and English. But Apple's playing catch-up in a market that's suddenly heating up fast.
Google already rolled out Voice Translate on its Pixel 10 phones, which goes one step further - it actually preserves the speaker's voice inflections. When Jimmy Fallon spoke English during Google's August demo, the Spanish translation sounded exactly like the comedian himself. That's launching Monday through a software update.
Meanwhile, Meta announced in May that its Ray-Ban glasses can translate conversations through built-in speakers, with responses transcribed on the user's phone. The company's expected to unveil next-generation smart glasses Wednesday with an embedded display, though translation upgrades remain unclear.
The timing isn't coincidental. Almost three years after OpenAI's ChatGPT launched the current AI boom, these advances are finally translating into consumer hardware. "If we can actually use the AirPods for live translations, that's a feature that would actually get people to upgrade," DA Davidson analyst Gil Luria told CNBC Wednesday.
Apple shipped roughly 18 million wireless headphones in Q1 alone, according to Canalys, meaning this tech could reach millions of users overnight. That scale advantage worries existing players in the translation device market.
"What I love about what Apple is doing is it really just illuminates how pressing of an issue this is," said Joe Miller, U.S. general manager of Japan-based Pocketalk, which makes a $299 dedicated translation device supporting 95 languages compared to Apple's five.
