But fast-forward to 2019 and, somehow, the £159-a-pair little pods have transformed into a bona fide status symbol.
I’m not so sure AirPods are a status symbol, and definitely not a millennial one (The word millennial isn’t even mentioned in this article except the headline). But the AirPods are a great example of Apple’s product strategy: Enter a market with crappy products with a better designed, easy-to-use product, and reap the rewards.
AirPods were somewhat derided when Apple first released them towards the end of 2016. They looked silly, and surely they were going to fall out of your ear? As it happens, they have been a huge success, selling millions of units. Lance Ulanoff posted his take on the accessory’s success over on Medium, and it is well worth a read. He highlights how central AirPods could be to Apple’s strategy going forward.
Then, somewhere along the way, I started noticing other people wearing AirPods. At first it was just the occasional sighting, like spotting a green parrot in Brooklyn. However, I remember the moment when I stood in a New York City subway car and noticed more than a half dozen people wearing AirPods. Apple’s oddball product had broken through.
The next generation of AirPods will be able to be configured for Siri in the same way iPhones and iPads, an iOS beta revealed.
AirPods 2 are rumored to launch in the first half of 2019, and could be redesigned to have health monitoring features.
At CES 2019 on Wednesday, Hyper was showing off the new version of their AirPods charging case. Due to be made available imminently, the case completely encompasses your current AirPods charging case, and contains a Lightning connector in the bottom. Simply place your existing AirPods charger inside the Hyper case and lay that down on a Qi pad (or mat, like the one coming in Q2 shown in the picture here) and, boom, your AirPods wirelessly charge. Retail price is said to be just US$20.
Got an Apple Watch? You can use it to ping a lost iPhone in your house. But did you know that you can do that with your AirPods, too, assuming they’re set up to do so? You can, and we’ve got the trick to it in today’s Quick Tip!
Renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted wireless charging for AirPods will arrive in 2019, with a new model dropping in 2020.
AirPods are hugely popular but, let’s be honest, the charging case is hardly the most chic item Apple has ever released. Accessories maker NOMAD may have solved that problem. On Thursday, they are going to release the Rugged Case – a fully leather outer case for AirPods. Available in brown or black, you can put the AirPod charging case intro the Rugged Case, providing extra protection and a little bit more style. Priced at $29.95, the Rugged Case is available to pre-order now. Distribution will commence on Thursday, 15 November.
Andrew Orr joins Kelly Guimont to talk about AirPods both legit and counterfeit, as well as Black Friday and holiday gift guides.
While Apple hasn’t announced a new generation of AirPods, two filings for AirPods were published on Thursday by the Bluetooth SIG.
eBay has a bunch of deals today, and several of them involve cheap Apple devices. Get deals on the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and AirPods.
The Pictar Pro marries old school camera goodness to modern iPhone convenience, and Bryan Chaffin and Jeff Gamet weigh the pros and cons. They also talk about Netflix’s plans to make new movies and TV series (both) out of The Chronicles of Narnia books. Lastly, they talk about what to expect if Apple does an October media event.
It turns your iPhone into a microphone to help you hear in difficult situations. Here’s how to turn on Live Listen with AirPods.
Though originally covered in early drafts of a $200 billion escalation of President Donald Trump’s trade war with China, the product code covering these two Apple devices—as well as competing devices—will be exempted from tariffs.
Apple still hasn’t released its wireless charging case for Apple’s AirPods, so HYPER stepped up with its Wireless Charger Adapter. The adapter slides on to your AirPods case and adds Qi charging support. It works with any 5W Qi-compliant charger, and gives your AirPods case a full charge in 1.5 hours. The HYPER Wireless Charger Adapter for Apple AirPods is priced at US$49.99 and is available now at the company’s website.
The company set up a special webpage just for the event, and even included a handy-dandy link for adding it to your Calendar.
The invite is titled “Gather Round,” seemingly a reference to the Steve Jobs Theater in the circular Apple Park, and the company is expected to announce new iPhone models.
Andrew Orr and Dave Hamilton join Jeff Gamet to talk about Brian Bumbery leaving his own music industry publicity agency to join the Apple Music team, plus they dive into the way personal technology is creating social changes.
Insider sources say Apple’s coming iPhone launch event is happening on September 12th in the Steve Jobs theater.
Normally, connecting your AirPods to your Mac should be pretty easy and straightforward. However, sometimes you could run into connection issues.
