Apple is working on wire-free earbuds built around a custom Bluetooth radio chip that will result in a longer battery life than is possible with traditional Bluetooth chips, reports Forbes.
Citing a source with knowledge of Apple's plans, Forbes says Apple has spent the last several years working on a custom Bluetooth chip that's designed to solve the battery life problems that plague existing wireless earbuds.
The low-power Bluetooth chip comes from technology developed by Passif Semiconductor, a startup Apple purchased in 2013. But the project has hit performance snags. Apple originally planned to launch the Bluetooth gadget in 2015, but Bluetooth performance issues stalled the release, the source told FORBES. "The way it works at Apple is if it doesn't work 100%, it gets cut," the source said. Whether Apple's wireless earbuds arrive with a custom Bluetooth chip by Apple, or instead use a third-party supplier is still unknown.
This isn't the first time we've heard about Apple's work on wire-free earbuds. Back in January, a rumor unveiled Apple's earbud plans, pointing towards Bragi Dash-style wireless Bluetooth earbuds with a battery life of approximately four hours. According to that rumor, the earbuds will also charge through an included carrying case that serves as a rechargeable battery, further extending battery life.
In recent years, Apple has delved into developing its own chips to reduce its reliance on third-party vendors, cut down on supply chain issues, and drive technology improvements. Apple has been developing its own ARM-based CPUs for mobile devices since 2010, so a move into other chip categories is unsurprising.
Rumors indicate Apple will remove the headphone jack in the iPhone 7, pushing consumers towards wireless headphones and Lightning-based headphones, so the timing is right for the release of new wireless earbuds. According to Forbes, the earbuds could potentially launch in September alongside the new iPhone 7, but the site's source was not able to confirm a launch date.
Based on trademark filings discovered by MacRumors, Apple may be planning to name its rumored wireless earbuds "AirPods."
Thursday August 1, 2024 3:46 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Google has announced new Waze and Google Maps features rolling out for iPhone and CarPlay users that aim to keep them safer and more informed on the go. First up, changes to Maps aim to make it easier to report incidents and helpful information, like nearby construction, lane closures, objects and police presence. These reports come from the Maps and Waze communities, and users will now see ...
Apple today released new betas of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 for developers, introducing the first Apple Intelligence features. Apple Intelligence was previewed in June, and is Apple's version of artificial intelligence. Not all of the Apple Intelligence features are available as of yet, but we've rounded up a list of what's active in the beta. Note that iOS 18.1, iPadOS...
Apple today released iOS 17.6 and iPadOS 17.6, the sixth point updates to the iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 operating system updates that came out last year. The iOS and iPadOS 17.6 updates come two months after the debut of iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5. iOS 17.6 and iPadOS 17.6 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also...
Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
Thursday August 1, 2024 2:26 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Leaker Sonny Dickson is back today with a new dummy unit image showing three alleged iPhone 16 Pro color variants, including a seemingly darker Black Titanium unit compared to the color of the same name on existing iPhone 15 Pro models. The iPhone 16 Pro models are expected to come in black, white or silver, gray or "Natural Titanium," and a rose or rose gold color replacing Blue Titanium,...
Apple released iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 betas for developers yesterday, introducing an early version of Apple Intelligence. Not all of the Apple Intelligence features are implemented yet, but we thought we'd go through what's available and see just what kind of changes AI will bring to the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. ...
Apple supplier LG Display is expected to be the secondary vendor for the OLED panels that will feature on next year's fourth-generation iPhone SE models, reports The Elec. The fourth-generation iPhone SE is rumored to feature an iPhone 14-like design with an OLED display, Face ID instead of Touch ID, a USB-C port, an Action button, and an all-screen look that does away with the Home...
It will be shipped with the new iPhone. They will sell a wired (lightning) earbud as a backup
I think you've got it the other way around, they'll most likely ship next iPhone with the lightning wired earphones, and sell Airpods for extra $150+. (This maintains the highest profits for Timmy)
Still sounds dreadful. I thought that maybe they'd invent something better than BT. Does this do anything to alleviate the delay all Bluetooth devices have? Will it not have the weird shuffle bugs I've experienced with car BT syncing? Do they expect to drastically improve on that amazingly terrible 4-hour battery life mentioned in the article?
Perhaps Apple will impress us with a good product this fall, but so far there are zero rumors pointing to it.
Still sounds dreadful. I thought that maybe they'd invent something better than BT. Does this do anything to alleviate the delay all Bluetooth devices have? Will it not have the weird shuffle bugs I've experienced with car BT syncing? Do they expect to drastically improve on that amazingly terrible 4-hour battery life mentioned in the article?
Perhaps Apple will impress us with a good product this fall, but so far there are zero rumors pointing to it.
Anything is better than a 3.5 jack. Get rid of those damn things already. The sooner we get away from wired old technology the sooner improvements will come. The past belongs in the past.
Apple is working on wire-free earbuds built around a custom Bluetooth radio chip that will result in a longer battery life than is possible with traditional Bluetooth chips, reports Forbes.
