With the promise of wireless charging and water resistance — and better Siri integration, of course — Apple’s future generations of AirPods wireless headphones seem sure to impress. Here’s everything we have heard about the upcoming iteration of these popular earbuds.
Apple’s first-generation AirPods are, hands down, the best-selling true wireless in-ears on the market right now, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t in dire need of an update.
Siri is already in your home, in your pocket, and on your wrist, so why not in your ears as well? Apple’s wireless AirPods already let you summon the voice assistant by physically tapping them, but the next iteration of the in-ear device will allow you to simply say, “Hey Siri,” as you would with your phone. Not only that, but a patent suggests that the AirPods case could become a portable media player — basically an iPod Nano in disguise. And they may be waterproof, too! What won’t the next-generation AirPods 2 do? Read on to find out.
Apple’s next-gen AirPods could include everything but the kitchen sink — heck, they could include a kitchen sink, too. A Bloomberg report from late June 2018 by Mark Gurman details Apple’s efforts to improve the next generation of AirPods by adding noise-cancellation and water resistance. Apple also wants to ensure that these AirPods (should we consider them the AirPods 3?) can work even when relatively far away from their companion smartphone or tablet. And while you won’t be able to jump into a pool wearing the AirPods, Apple hopes that you’ll be able to go on a long run (even in the rain) without having to worry about sweat or precipitation damaging them.
Apple also is considering biometric functionality, such as a heart rate monitor. Such functionality would clearly come at an increased cost, Gurman noted.
The voice-control feature is currently being worked on for the next generation of the AirPods, Bloomberg reported in February, an update that is internally known as B288. Voice activation won’t be the only new part of the upcoming AirPods either, as they will include an updated, Apple-designed chip for handling Bluetooth connections. The original AirPods included the W1 chip, while the most recent Apple Watch used the W2. It’s not clear if these new AirPods will use a brand-new chip, or an updated W2.
Images leaked in July 2018 revealed what appears to be Apple’s wireless charging case for the AirPods 2 — and it looks a lot like the current case, save for a tiny dot of color. The images, discovered in the release of the iOS 12 developer beta 5 by 9to5Mac, appear to indicate charging status. A green light presumably indicates that the devices are ready to rock, while a yellow light signals that the earbuds are actively charging.
