Apple unveiled the third generation of AirPods at it’s ‘Unleashed’ event, with an updated design and a variety of new features.
AirPods
Experts Warn of Dangers from Apple AirPods
We love our Apple AirPods and wear them all the time. Now, experts warn there could be consequences of keeping them in our ears too much.
AirPods as Health Instruments – TMO Daily Observations 2021-10-13
Jeff Butts and Charlotte Henry join host Kelly Guimont to discuss AirPods and their expanding role as instruments of health, not just audio.
Third Generation AirPods Likely to be 'Unleashed' at Apple Event
As I, and many others, suspected, it seems we will finally get the third generation of AirPods at the ‘Unleashed’ event on Monday. Leaks from Chinese social media site Weibo, picked up by MacRumors, suggest the earbuds will have an updated design.
Now, as Apple has confirmed its likely last event of the year for this coming Monday, October 18, all the indications suggest that new AirPods will also be announced alongside redesigned MacBook Pros. Weibo leaker @PandaIsBald, which accurately reported the launch of the baseline ninth-generation iPad for Apple’s last event, has claimed that alongside “M1X” Macs, the third-generation AirPods with an updated design will also be announced…The refreshed AirPods are expected to take design cues from the AirPods Pro and leaked schematics and images but appear to confirm those design changes. However, what remains unclear is whether the new AirPods will feature silicone ear-tips, like the AirPods Pro, or feature the same in-ear design as the first and second-generation AirPods.
AirPods Could be Transformed Into Health Device
Apple is looking to further develop AirPods and turn them into a health device, including adding hearing-aid and thermometer features.
CarPlay Evolution, AirPods Updates – TMO Daily Observations 2021-10-11
Jeff Butts joins host Kelly Guimont to discuss the possibility of CarPlay controlling more than music, and the latest AirPods firmware update.
AirPods Market Share Dropped From 41 Percent to 29 Percent
Mashable‘s Alex Perry writes how AirPods revolutionized the wireless earbud space but is currently falling behind.
AirPods market share dropped from 41 percent at the end of 2019 to 29 percent at the end of 2020, according to research firm Counterpoint. That’s still a substantial lead over everyone else, but it does point to what happened in the more than two years since the last AirPods update: Other companies made cheaper and better entry-level wireless earbuds, and consumers took notice.
Photo by Lala Azizli on Unsplash
AirPods Pro: First Impressions After (Finally) Getting a Pair
Despite a previous aversion to the stems, Charlotte Henry got a pair of AirPods Pro this week and loves them.
Apple Promotes ‘Back to College’ Deals With 20% Off AppleCare+
In an email to customers on Tuesday, Apple shared some of its Back to College deals for 2021 that include AirPods and AppleCare+.
Ming Chi-Kuo: AirPods Pro Two Coming 2022
New AirPods Pro 2 will debut in 2022, according to a note from analyst Ming -Chi-Kuo seen by iMore. Indeed, he expects Apple’s earbuds to ship 100 million units overall that year.
Kuo says that while Apple’s AirPods business will “decline in the short term (2H21–1H22)” he expects that to be rectified by the second half of the year. Short term, however, lower than expected demand is thought to mean Apple will ship up to 75 million units which is 10 million down on the previous prediction. In terms of AirPods as a whole, Kuo says that he expects Apple to ship more than 100 million units in 2022, even if the new products don’t feature an “innovative experience.” Such an experience has been talked about before — previous reports have suggested some form of health tracking could be added to AirPods Pro specifically.