Apple AirPods

A new Counterpoint Research report estimates that AirPods captured a 60% share of the true wireless in-ear headphones market in the final quarter of 2018.

The company says this is particularly impressive in the light of two factors …

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When the first-generation AirPods were announced in September 2016, I didn’t give them too much thought. At the time, I was editing videos with large headphones on for eight hours per day, and the idea of swapping one set of headphones for another after work just wasn’t appealing. Purchasing a set didn’t cross my mind until one year later when Apple showed off the AirPods wireless charging case and elusive AirPower mat.

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The second generation AirPods landed on my desk today, and as a big fan of the originals, I was excited to review the AirPods 2 (2019) edition. At first glance it’s immediately evident that it’s not a radical change from the original design, even the box is more or less the same outside of a few changes.

The second-generation AirPods are more like AirPods version 1.5 than they are AirPods 2, but that’s primarily a testament to how right Apple got the product on its first at bat. Watch our hands-on AirPods 2 review video as we explore top features, make comparisons with the original AirPods, and share our hands-on impressions.
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The Apple AirPods have led the truly-wireless earphone industry and maintained their crown ever since their release in late 2016. The changes introduced in AirPods 2, or AirPods (second-generation) as Apple describes them, don’t shake the boat but help AirPods maintain their lead.

I received my AirPods with Wireless Charging Case yesterday morning in the UK, so I’ve had about a day to get a feel for them. Most of the changes are obvious, but welcome, improvements to the truly-wireless formula. Wireless charging remains a bit of a question mark for me, thanks in large part to the continued absence of a certain charging mat. Here’s what’s new …

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Apple last week announced a new version of AirPods and an accompanying Wireless Charging Case, but AirPower was nowhere to be found. As it turns out, the packaging for the AirPods Wireless Charging Case clearly depicts AirPower, even though it’s still not available.

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Last week, a report suggested that Apple is planning to release a “truly wireless” version of Beats Powerbeats headphones next month. Today’s release of iOS 12.2 includes imagery of the new headphones, which we now know will be called Powerbeats Pro.

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Apple’s second-generation AirPods aren’t the only newly updated headphones hitting the market this spring. That’s according to CNET which has a nice scoop on upcoming Beats Powerbeats that finally cut the cord.

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Update: The AirPower image has been removed from Apple’s servers, but the HTML and CSS references remain for now. Who knows when AirPower will show up for real?

The AirPods page was updated yesterday to highlight the new features in the updated model and mentions the wireless charging case. However, the previously featured picture of AirPods and an iPhone X laying on the AirPower mat was removed in the redesign.

It turns out — there is actually a new never-before-seen official AirPower image hidden in the source code that was intended to be on the AirPods page. It shows the new AirPods charging case and “David’s” iPhone XS laying on the so far unreleased AirPower mat …

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Apple released the long-awaited update to the first-generation AirPods today. As expected, the 2nd-generation of the popular fully-wireless earbuds feature a new Qi wireless charging case and “Hey Siri” functionality. There’s also a new H1 chip that offers several improvements over the original AirPods. Read on for a detailed look at what’s different between the old and new AirPods.

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Apple finally launched the long-awaited second-generation AirPods. These offer a new H1 chip which boost talk-time and speed up switching between devices, but the headline features are hands-free Hey Siri and … a wireless charging case.

The latter – also available as a standalone accessory for existing AirPods owners – has been a long time coming. The thinking until now is that Apple was waiting until it could finally get AirPower working, so it could announce the products together, but it hasn’t done so.

The big question is whether AirPower is coming tomorrow as a separate launch …. ?

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Apple has just launched the second generation of its Apple AirPods. The new earbuds and come with the long-promised wireless charging case, a new H1 chip, hands-free Hey Siri, longer battery life and faster connections to devices.

The new AirPods are available now for $199 with the wireless charging case, or available with the standard case for $159. Existing AirPods owners can purchase the wireless charging case separately for $79.

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A large-scale consumer study found that AirPods were the most preferred brand in the US true wireless headphone market – but are not being chosen on the basis of sound quality.

The study also shows that Sony and Samsung are not lagging far behind Apple in consumer preferences …

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I recently purchased a Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus to compare with my iPhone XS Max. Samsung was generous enough to throw in a free pair of its $129 wireless Galaxy Buds for early adopters. How does Samsung’s take on truly wire-free earbuds compare with Apple’s AirPods? Watch our hands-on video walkthrough for the details.
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Digitimes today reports that its sources indicate that flexible printed circuit board manufacturers Flexium, Zhen Ding Technology, Compeq and Unitech are ramping up to supply parts in volume for imminent new Apple hardware.

Flexium and Zhen Ding will make PCBs for new iPad models whereas Compeq and Unitech are on tap for AirPods production.

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