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Apple AirPods

636 'AirPods' stories October 2015 - September 2016
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AirPods offers a cord-free wireless audio experience with up to 5 hours of battery life. They are rechargeable through the included case that get you up to 24 hours on a single charge. AirPods 2 and AirPods Pro support wireless (Qi) charging, Hey Siri, and include the H1 chip.

Apple’s truly wireless wireless and cord-free earbuds now with Qi support

Table of contents

AirPods 1 Features

AirPods are Apple’s wireless, cord-free in-ear headphones, and were unveiled alongside the iPhone 7 on September 7, 2016. Priced at $159 they were originally announced to be available in late October, 2016, but were delayed until December 13.

They have a very similar form-factor to the company’s wired EarPods, with the obvious omission of a cable and the addition of Bluetooth connectivity. Despite this, early reports suggest that they are better at staying in your ears.

They offer Apple’s latest wireless pairing system, based on the W1 chip. They pair instantly, and that pairing propagates across all your Apple devices via iCloud. The secret sauce behind the new pairing system turned out to be all in the W1 chip in the headphones themselves, so it works with Bluetooth LE devices all the way back to the iPhone 5.

AirPods 2 Features

In March of 2019, Apple released AirPods 2. The new version is available for $199 with the wireless charging case, or available with the standard case for $159. Existing version 1 owners can purchase the wireless charging case separately for $79.

Version 2 moved away from the W1 chip to the new H1 chip to deliver up to 50 percent more talk time compared to the first generation. The H1 should also speed up switching between devices, with Apple saying version 2 should now connect two times faster. Version 2 also includes ‘Hey Siri’ support as well.

AirPods Pro

In October 2019, Apple announced AirPods Pro. The Pro model features “Active Noise Cancellation and superior, immersive sound in an all-new lightweight, in-ear design.” The new in-ear design of the Pro model makes for better noise cancellation. Apple says that the Pro headphones are sweat and water-resistant rated for IPX4. The box includes three different sizes of ear tips, which should make them relatively versatile.

AirPods Pro vs. AirPods comparison

There are five major features that the Pro model has have that Version 2 don’t:

  • Active noise cancellation
  • Audio Transparency mode
  • IPX4 water/sweat resistance
  • Adaptive EQ
  • In-ear design with three sets of tips
How AirPods Pro and AirPods gen 2 compare

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Read below for all of our coverage

The 9to5Mac team’s favorite wireless headphones for the iPhone 7

Avatar for Greg Barbosa Sep 9 2016 - 9:39 am PT
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Without a doubt the biggest consumer-facing news from Apple’s September event yesterday was the removal of the iPhone’s headphone jack. This “courageous” move is seen to help push forward wireless audio technology, all the while giving Apple a few more millimeters to work with in the device’s internals.

Not without controversy, this decision does mean leaving a lot of wired headphones in the dust. Not everyone will find the AirPods, expected in October, the default choice and we figured this would be a good time as any to roundup the 9to5Mac team’s opinions on their current favorite pair (or 2) of wireless headphones. Take a look through and be sure to share your current favorite wireless audio options in the comments.


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Video roundup: Hands-on with the new iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, Apple Watch Series 2, and AirPods

Avatar for Chance Miller Sep 7 2016 - 5:02 pm PT
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After months of rumors and leaks, Apple today officially took the wraps off of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. While Apple showed off a good portion of what’s new on stage during various demos, there are always a few things left over that potential customers would like a first-hand look at. Members of the press who were in the audience during Apple’s event at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium had an opportunity to go hands-on with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, as well as the truly wireless AirPods and the Apple Watch Series 2…


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Apple publishes intense 107-second September event recap & new product videos to YouTube

Avatar for Greg Barbosa Sep 7 2016 - 12:38 pm PT
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In a new move by Apple, they’ve gone ahead and published a 107-second recap video from today’s big event to YouTube. Apple’s appropriately titled ‘Don’t Blink’ recap video is tightly packed with content from the event, and something you don’t want to miss. Apple has also published the introduction videos of its latest products from its September event. The videos each show off Apple’s three big new products: the new iPhone 7, the Apple Watch Series 2, and the all new Apple AirPods. The videos provide a good introduction into the products that customers will begin to see hit shelves later this year, and everything else they should expect.


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Opinion: How Apple is likely PR-managing the loss of the headphone jack on the iPhone 7

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Sep 1 2016 - 7:40 am PT
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Apple has never been afraid to declare that technology has moved on, and that something we all thought of as essential is now legacy equipment. It did this first with the 3.5-inch floppy drive, omitting it from the iMac G3 in 1998 because Steve Jobs held the view that the CD-ROM had rendered the medium obsolete.

Apple was also one of the first companies to abandon optical drives, with the MacBook Air being the first Mac to launch without one in 2008. The company of course later dropped optical drives from the Retina MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac.

Finally, in launching the 12-inch MacBook, Apple also declared that every prior port except the headphone socket was no longer necessary.

Each time Apple has done this, there have been anguished complaints and negative press. Apple has weathered the storm each time, and other manufacturers tended to quietly follow Apple’s lead a little later. But in seemingly planning to abandon the oldest and best-established standard of them all – the venerable 3.5mm headphone jack – I believe Apple is being a little more careful in how it has prepared the ground …


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Apple audio supplier suggestion corroborates rumored noise-cancelling iPhone 7 headphones

Avatar for Zac Hall Jan 28 2016 - 12:53 pm PT
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My cheap headphone jack-less iPhone mockup

While it’s widely rumored that the iPhone 7 will drop the headphone jack when it launches later this year, known Apple audio supplier Cirrus Logic may have hinted about how Apple plans to handle this transition. Speaking to analysts and investors during the company’s latest earnings call (via BI), CEO Jason Rhode made a few interesting comments about what might be planned for later this year.


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Apple reportedly wants ‘AirPods’ trademark using shell company, suggesting Apple-branded wireless earbuds

Avatar for Zac Hall Oct 1 2015 - 1:11 pm PT
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Even in the age of the Apple Watch which only plays music over Bluetooth, Apple has yet to produce any Apple-branded wireless headphones or earbuds, instead promoting Beats-branded earbud and headphone designs created before Apple’s $3 billion acquisition of that company last year. A new report from MacRumors suggests that could soon change, however, as it’s believed Apple may have applied for “AirPods” trademark under an alias company name.
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