The awesome EarPods could be even better.
Today Bloomberg broke the news that Apple has not only the next version of its AirPods in the pipeline but the one after that too. According to Bloomberg: “The model coming as early as this year will let people summon Apple’s Siri digital assistant without physically tapping the headphones by saying ‘Hey Siri.’ The function will work similarly to how a user activates Siri on an iPhone or a HomePod speaker hands-free. The headphones, internally known as B288, will include an upgraded Apple-designed wireless chip for managing Bluetooth connections. The first AirPods include a chip known as the W1, and Apple released the W2 with the Apple Watch last year.”
And that’s just for the 2018 model, expected to ship this year. The 2019 model is said to include water resistance so AirPods are better protected from things like sweat and rain. While the improvements to the 2018 and 2019 models are definitely welcome, we thought we’d list our suggestions for how Apple could make the AirPods even better. True Waterproofing
Yes, the 2019 AirPods are supposed to be “water resistant”–a welcome move. But water resistance is much different than waterproofing. What we’d really love to see is fully waterproof AirPods so you could literally use them in the pool. While waterproof AirPods are probably relatively easy to make, once in the water Apple would need a way for the AirPods to stay snug enough in the ears so water wouldn’t leak between your AirPods and ear canal and thus obstruct the acoustics getting to your ear.
To get around this we could see Apple making an “AquaPod” accessory that keeps your AirPods snug in your ears and seals out all water even when doing laps. Is this likely? Eh, let’s call it 50/50 for now. Offline Siri
Out of all the digital assistants out there, Siri is probably our least favorite. But hey, Apple is never going to open its AirPods up to third-party assistants, so its Siri or nothing. That being said, Siri requires an Internet connection to work on the AirPods even for simple commands like music playback control. We’d love to see a “light” version of Siri stored on the AirPods directly so the most basic voice controls don’t require an Internet connection. Over-ear Loops
We love how tiny AirPods are, but they are one of the few earbuds that only offer a one-size-fits-all option. We don’t see Apple making AirPods in different shapes and sizes, but we do think it would be beneficial for them to include AirPod “loops” with the tiny buds. These loops would slip over the AirPods and allow you to wrap the loop around the lobe of your ear. This would make the AirPods less prone to falling out when jogging for those who don’t have AirPod-sized ears. Physical Mute Button
Yeah, we know Apple likes uniforms, seamless design. And while this makes the AirPods look beautiful, it wouldn’t kill Apple to add a physical button or two for easier tactile control. If Apple does add a physical button we’re hoping it’s a mute one. It would be great to be able to quickly mute a call without fumbling at touch controls.
