According to Apple analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is looking to launch the 3rd iteration of the AirPods in the first half of 2021. His sources also say that Apple is going to draw inspiration from the AirPods Pro in terms of design. He wasn’t clear how Apple is going to do that but rumours suggest that the AirPods 3 will have a shorter stem with the same in-ear design as its predecessor. This makes sense as the biggest differentiating factor between the AirPods and AirPods Pro is the silicon tips which offers Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and Apple wouldn’t want to add its flagship feature to the “non-pro” variant.
Kuo goes further to suggest that Apple will change its method of manufacturing the AirPods 3 to System in Package (SiP), which allows Apple to pack more features into a smaller footprint. This is the same method which is used to produce the AirPods Pro with the H1 chip at its core which enables clearer audio, Siri commands and noise-cancelling making it more expensive.
In April, Kuo indicated that the 2nd generation of the AirPods Pro will arrive in late 2021 or early 2022 and according to leaks and rumours, Apple will also be removing the EarPods from the iPhone 12 retail boxes helping drive AirPods sales.
Apple recently filed two health patents related to exercise and yoga positions. One of the patents provides coaching and feedback to the user whilst analysing the head and other body movements. This patent allows Apple to add sensors which gather orientation information like accelerometer measurements during movements made by the user. The second patent focuses on tracking and accurately predicting the number of calories burnt when practising Yoga using the Photoplethysmogram (PPG) sensor in the wearable. This will all be made possible with AirPods communicating with the iPhone using Bluetooth.
When we reviewed the Apple AirPods 2 we said, “The new Apple AirPods sound good, not great, but good. While the earphones produce relatively deep bass that's not highly accurate, it handles the highs quite well but the mids are slightly dampened. With a slew of features that will cater to most users’ needs, the AirPods would make an excellent package if it weren’t for the premium one has to pay for them”. You can read our complete review here.
The TWS space is heating up with budget and premium brands gunning for your ears. We recently reviewed the Sony WF-XB700 and you can check that out here. OnePlus also wants a piece of the TWS pie and is launching its OnePlus Buds on July 21 alongside the upcoming OnePlus Nors smartphone. You can read everything we know about the OnePlus Buds here.