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Apple AirPods

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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

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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AirPods Pro 2 sales see Apple grow its wireless headphone market share by 34%

AirPods Pro 3

Strong AirPods Pro 2 sales played a major role in Apple substantially increasing its share of the TWS (True Wireless Stereo) market, according to a new market intelligence report.

Apple substantially grew its already-strong lead over the rest of the market during Q3, as second-placed Samsung saw its Galaxy Buds shipments fall by 25% …

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Analysts expect growth in AAPL Q4 2022 earnings report; holiday quarter concerns

Apple new iPhone, iPad, Mac, Watch models

The AAPL Q4 2022 earnings report lands on Thursday, when the company will reveal its financials for July to September. Analysts are expecting good news, based on strong demand for the iPhone 14.

As has been the case since 2020, Apple is not expected to offer any official guidance for the holiday quarter, but Wall Street will be listening carefully for any clues the company may provide …

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AirPods Pro 2: Apple’s best ‘S’ revision yet

AirPods Pro 2 iPhone 14 Pro Now Playing

AirPods Pro 2 are the classic example of Apple taking an already great product and improving on it in meaningful ways. Only the most studious AirPods Pro observer could identify the new Pros over the originals.

Yet, the total user experience has been upgraded in a way that clearly warrants a new version. In prior years, this strategy would be marketed by appending the letter S to an iPhone product name. While that naming scheme has fallen out of fashion, the spirit of the letter applies to second-generation AirPods Pro in the best way possible.

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AirPods to be made in India for the first time, in Apple’s latest diversification move

Airpods to be made in India | Hand holding a pair

Some AirPods and Beats headphones are to be made in India for the first time, as Apple continues a gradual reduction of its dependence on China for product manufacturing.

AirPods production is predominantly split between Foxconn and Luxshare, and a report today says that Apple has instructed both companies to move some of their assembly work to India …

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iOS 16.1 beta 4 removes ‘Adaptive Transparency’ toggle for older AirPods Pro and Max

iOS 16.1 beta 4 removes 'Adaptive Transparency' toggle for older AirPods Pro and Max

With the release of iOS 16.1 beta 3 last week, owners of the first-generation AirPods Pro and AirPods Max noticed that the update enabled the “Adaptive Transparency” option for these earphones. While it was unclear whether the feature was actually coming to older AirPods or not, Apple has now removed the option with iOS 16.1 beta 4, confirming that it was just a bug.

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iPhone reverse charging patents keep coming, this one with back-to-back iPhones

iPhone reverse charging | iPhone shown with MagSafe case

A new Apple patent application for iPhone reverse charging has been published today, further boosting speculation about when the Cupertino company will finally offer the wireless power sharing capability.

The application describes another possible application for the technology: placing two iPhones back-to-back to enable one to charge the other …

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Engineer reveals how he made USB-C AirPods case, open sources 3D file and custom PCB

USB-C AirPods case

Back in May, engineer Ken Pillonel followed up on his successful project to create the world’s first USB-C iPhone by creating the first AirPods case with USB-C. However, he didn’t share details on how he did it. Now Pillonel is back with an in-depth look at what it took to create a USB-C AirPods case and is making his resources available for others to do the same.

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Why you should buy the 2nd generation AirPods in 2022 – and why you shouldn’t

AirPods 2

Today is officially Prime Day, and there’s a whole slew of deals to check out on Amazon. Of the deals, one I want to focus on is the fantastic value of the 2nd generation AirPods. Despite being a three-year-old product, the AirPods 2 is still a good choice for many consumers. Let’s dive in to why you should buy AirPods 2 in 2022 and some reasons why you shouldn’t buy these affordable earbuds.

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