Apple's Beats brand in April unveiled the Powerbeats Pro, a redesigned wire-free version of its popular fitness-oriented Powerbeats earbuds.
Apple Debuts Wireless 'AirPods' With 5 Hours of Music Playback
Apple today announced a new pair of wireless "AirPods," which provide up to 5 hours of music playback and high-quality sound through a "seamless and automatic connection" between devices. The AirPods include a rechargeable battery case that delivers up to 24 hours of battery life.
The AirPods connect instantly with a single tap and switch between iCloud-connected Apple devices on the fly. Playback is controlled by dual-optical sensors that "know when you are listening" and will pause music automatically when taken out. A double tap on the buds invokes Siri, allowing the user to select and control music, change the volume, check battery life or perform any other Siri task. This functionality is enabled by an ultra-low power Apple W1 chip inside, which also delivers higher quality audio, claims Apple.
The AirPods come with a Lightning cable for charging the case, and will be available to buy from late October in stores and online at a price of $159. The earphones require Apple devices running iOS 10, watchOS 3 or macOS Sierra.
The company also showcased a pair of new, lightning-connected EarPods at the media event in San Francisco. These wired headphones will be included in the box for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, along with a Lightning-to-3.5mm headphone adapter.
The AirPods connect instantly with a single tap and switch between iCloud-connected Apple devices on the fly. Playback is controlled by dual-optical sensors that "know when you are listening" and will pause music automatically when taken out. A double tap on the buds invokes Siri, allowing the user to select and control music, change the volume, check battery life or perform any other Siri task. This functionality is enabled by an ultra-low power Apple W1 chip inside, which also delivers higher quality audio, claims Apple.
"AirPods are the first headphones to deliver a breakthrough wireless audio experience, and with the new Apple W1 chip they deliver innovative features including high quality sound, great battery life and automatic setup," said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "AirPods are simple and magical to use, with no switches or buttons, automatically connecting to all your Apple devices simply and seamlessly, and letting you access Siri with just a double tap. We can’t wait for users to try them with iPhone 7 and Apple Watch Series 2."Each AirPod also has an additional accelerometer that detects when the user is speaking, while a pair of beam-forming microphones focus on the sound of the user's voice and filters out external noise.
The AirPods come with a Lightning cable for charging the case, and will be available to buy from late October in stores and online at a price of $159. The earphones require Apple devices running iOS 10, watchOS 3 or macOS Sierra.
The company also showcased a pair of new, lightning-connected EarPods at the media event in San Francisco. These wired headphones will be included in the box for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, along with a Lightning-to-3.5mm headphone adapter.
Tag: September 2016 event
[ 377 comments ]
Top Rated Comments
(View all)
34 months ago
Based on the comments and complaints I assume most people aren't familiar with the average price and battery life for this type of product is.
5 hours of battery life and $149-$159 or whatever it is, is actually very very good.
Samsungs versions cost $199 with 1.5-2 hours of battery life
Bragi Dash are $300 with 3 hours of battery life
5 hours of battery life and $149-$159 or whatever it is, is actually very very good.
Samsungs versions cost $199 with 1.5-2 hours of battery life
Bragi Dash are $300 with 3 hours of battery life
34 months ago
Guys, it's 5 hours of continuous playback. If you put them in the charging case when you're not using them, you can get 24 hours of playback. Not saying it's the best but it does seems manageable. I'll definitely check them out when they launch but I'm worried they won't be comfortable. They look just like the EarPods and those things are uncomfortable as hell.
34 months ago
5 hours is useless, I work 9 hours and need 12 hours per day...... I'd rather the 3.5mm jack, I don't need stereo speakers built into the phone, I don't even need one speaker, they're small and crap and I only ever have my phone in vibrate... I never use the built in speakers.
34 months ago
They look cool, but also look like they'll fall out with any sudden movement.
34 months ago
So Apple buys Beats, markets Beats, hires their executive team, then designs their own headphones
34 months ago
Exactly everything I was hoping for.
5 hours of continuous listening is generous. The case extends that to 24hours.
The $159 price is surprising. I thought they'd be much higher. Many wireless earphones are up around $300.
They're beautiful and are built for Siri. I'm in.
5 hours of continuous listening is generous. The case extends that to 24hours.
The $159 price is surprising. I thought they'd be much higher. Many wireless earphones are up around $300.
They're beautiful and are built for Siri. I'm in.
34 months ago
I gotta say, these caught my attention more than anything else so far. I'm a little disappointed at the 5 hours of battery life, but the battery case was a great idea.
EDIT: $159!? NOPE :eek:
EDIT: $159!? NOPE :eek:
34 months ago
Hahahahaha! A dongle adapter? I don't believe it! What a joke! It must be. They actually did that? Oh man that sounds so backwards
[ Read All Comments ]
Instagram has considered hiding the like count on images uploaded to the social network, which would prevent people from seeing how many people have tapped the "heart" icon on each photo.
...
Cozy, a company that has a variety of clever solutions for managing Apple accessories, recently released its latest product, a whimsical "Drink Different" ice cube tray that makes ice shaped...
Apple has expanded mobile phone billing to additional countries and carriers, according to an updated support document on its website.
As of this week, the feature is now supported by...
Facebook harvested the email contacts of 1.5 million users without their knowledge or consent and used the data to build a web of their social connections, it emerged today. Business Insider reports...
Ahead of the annual New York International Auto Show, several automakers have announced new vehicles with first-time support for CarPlay, including the 2020 Toyota Highlander, 2020 Nissan Versa, and...
Amazon Echo devices have been able to use Alexa-based voice commands to control Apple Music since December, but the feature has been limited to Amazon's own devices until today.
Sonos One...
Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced three years ago in March 2016. Apple designed the Safari Technology Preview to test...
Apple Pay is now available as a payment option in the Uber Eats food delivery app for the first time, allowing users who make food orders to pay with a credit or debit card stored in the Wallet app.
...
