Next AirPods: Although production has begun, there is no shipping date insight
Air Pods are a great example of what Apple stands for high-quality products that have great features and work seamlessly. While you might not consider headphones and earbuds to be products that are likely to receive new features regularly, Apple integrates them seamlessly into its ecosystem. New versions also bring additional functionality. This article tracks the most notable reports about the upcoming Air Pods.
2021 Air Pods: The latest Rumors
September 14th: DigiTimes informs the Production of third-generation Air Pods is on the way and that shipments are underway. No word yet on when they’ll be made available to the public at large.
September 14th: Apple’s “California Streaming” event was a flop without mentioning Air Pods yet again making the release questionable.
September 7th: The latest FCC filing discovered on Twitter by Dave Zatz Twitter depicts a MagSafe Charger connecting with the Air Pods Wireless Charging Case.00:12
August 16th: Bloomberg’s Mark Guerman informs us the ” new entry-level AirPods with a design that is similar to those of the AirPods Pro” are in the works for in the autumn.
July 21th: Nikkei Asia reports that the third-generation AirPods will start production in August.
June 30th: Ming-Chi Kuo has reported that the second-gen AirPods Pro won’t arrive until 2022 slightly longer than thought to be.
2021 AirPods (3rd generation)
Availability:
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated on March 1 that the latest generation of Air Pods isn’t scheduled to launch in production until the third quarter of the year, which is likely to signal an autumn release. Kuo’s claim was confirmed with the help of Weibo posters l0vetodream who had earlier leaked Apple information. In the latter part of July, Nikkei Asia reported that the third generation Air Pods are expected to be available in August. Then, Apple’s “California Dreaming” event ended without mentioning the new Air Pods.
Designs:
LeaksApplePro posted photos of what they claim to be Air Pods 3, which have shorter stems and earbuds which look similar to Apple’s Air Pods Pro, however, they do not have the ear tips made of silicone. It is reported that the Chinese site 52audio published images of Air Pods which look like those that LeaksApplePro published, and Bloomberg also announced this month that new Air Pods will sport “a new ear shape as well as smaller stems” as part of “the most significant upgrade to the Air Pods series since the first AirPods launched in 2016.”
The AirPods might also include new cases that are like those in the AirPods Pro cases, however, 52audio and Bloomberg haven’t said whether Apple continues to provide both wireless and wired models.
Specifications:
Several reports state that the coming AirPods will feature the H1 chip that’s the same and feature similar to the present AirPods like rapid pair-up and switch, optical sensors as well as accelerometers for speech and motion detection. Although AirPods 3 AirPods 3 may look like AirPods Pro, they likely do not feature an active noise canceling feature. But, they might be able to use MagSafe charging. Although the current wireless charging case is compatible with regular wireless charging, however, a recent FCC filing discovered through Dave Zatz on Twitter depicts a pair of AirPods that are connected to a MagSafe changeable puck.
Price:
52audio reported that the AirPods could retail for $150, but didn’t specify the model of the case.
2022 AirPods Pro (2nd generation)
Availability:
Apparently, Apple had thought of launching the second-generation Air Pods Pro this year, however, Bloomberg announced on May 2021 that it wouldn’t be available until 2022. Ming-Chi Kuo confirmed that timeframe in a letter to investors late in June.
Design:
Bloomberg reported that the coming Air Pods Pro will not have any stems, and maybe a bit like the latest Beats Studio Buds which were unveiled recently, sporting an appearance that is in the ear and is flush with the.
In the future, Air Pods Pro could take design models taken from Beats Studio Buds.
Features:
According to Air Pods reports, Apple will continue to distinguish the Air Pods Pro by offering noise cancellation. As per Bloomberg the new Air Pods Pro will focus more on fitness tracking and will come with modern motion sensors.
Pricing:
No reports of pricing have been provided. The current price is $249; however, they are often sold out. The Beats Studio Buds cost $150, and it’s possible Apple might offer a slight price cut, but this isn’t Apple’s usual move.
2021 Air Pods Max (2nd Generation)
Air Pods Max was launched in late 2020. It’s therefore unlikely that Apple will release a new model this year. This is based on Apple’s Air Pods schedule. Bloomberg reported that Apple has not been working on any design or feature changes, but Apple could release new colors mid-cycle to refresh the product.
2021 Apple Music Pods
Apple introduced Lossless Audio and Lossless High-Res Audio to Apple Music in June. However, due to limitations in Bluetooth and the AAC codecs, no current AirPods can stream higher-quality tracks. Jon Prosser reported that Apple is working on a new audio codec that would allow lossless streaming over Air Pods, which could get an introduction alongside the new models. Although it is unclear if such a feature will be available only to the new Air Pods or if Apple plans to use Wi-Fi/Airplay 2 to enable lossless audio, new hardware would be required.
2021 AirPods iOS 15
WWDC saw Apple unveil iOS 15. It includes many features that will be available to the Air Pods including enhanced support for the Find My network and Conversation Boost for Air Pods Pro. Also, spatial audio on Apple TVs and M1 Macs is now possible. These features are likely to be included in the new Air Pods models. This could indicate a fall release.