Apple’s brilliant battery-saving feature for iPhone, which recently made its way to Mac, is also coming to AirPods and AirPods Pro in iOS 14. It should help your beloved buds last a little longer in between replacements.
AirPods got some impressive-sounding (no pun intended) features announced at WWDC, including an upcoming “Spatial Audio” feature that will provide better 3D sound for its AirPods Pro wireless earpods.
The feature will use motion tracking to replicate a surround sound, movie theater-style listening experience, making it sound like the audio you’re listening to is coming from around the wearer. It will work by using the device’s in-built accelerometer to track the motion of users’ heads. It will then remap the sound field constantly as your head moves around.
Apple will introduce its third-generation AirPods buds featuring the same design as AirPods Pro during the first half of 2021, according to one reliable analyst.
The new wireless headphones could help drive a 28% increase in AirPods shipments next year. Apple’s rumored decision not to include free EarPods with iPhone 12 this fall could also contribute to the boost.
AirPods are a great companion to any iOS device. They sound great, pair easily, and last a good long time. But we all know they can tend to slip from our ears. And we also know they aren’t cheap, so the idea of dropping them can be nerve-wracking.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers recently seized a shipment of counterfeit AirPods coming from China, carrying a retail price (at least, if they were authentic) of $3,975.
Officers discovered the shipment of AirPod knockoffs June 1. The packaging said the parcel contained lithium ion batteries. However, officers inspecting the package reportedly grew suspicious because of giveaways with the packaging and marking used on the shipment.
OtterBox on Thursday launched protective covers for AirPods and AirPods Pro cases. The Ispra and Lumen series are this company’s first for Apple’s truly-wireless earbuds. They come in a range of colors, and are designed to save the AirPods case from scratches and drops.
The Cult of Mac Store just kicked off its Father’s Day sale, offering some of our best AirPods and Apple Watch accessories at sweet discounts. Pick up bands, stands, protective bumper cases and more that dad will love.
Pittsburgh Customs and Border Protection officers seized a shipment of counterfeit AirPods and lightning charging cables over the weekend. The unauthorized knockoffs were part of a much larger collection of thousands of counterfeit goods — including 4,212 fake Roku remotes.
You can now carry an iconic Mini in your pocket with Elago’s spectacular new AirPods cases. They look just like the real thing and have headlights that glow in the dark for added wow factor. The best bit? You can get yours for just $19 (standard shipping included) from the Cult of Mac Store.
Active noise cancellation is one of the big selling points of AirPods Pro, so you probably expect it to actually work after you’ve splashed out $249. But if you’re running into noise cancellation problems, there are ways to fix them.
Find out how right here.
This week on The CultCast: AirPods with new sensors could be on the horizon, and that would fit perfectly with Apple’s always-on approach to health. Find out why we can’t wait for in-ear health trackers. Or for Apple to revamp the musty Messages app for Mac.
Plus, we discuss the aftermath of last week’s controversial chat with hotshot Apple leaker, Jon Prosser. And finally, Cult of Mac TV reviewer Scout Tafoya tells us why you probably ought to queue up Defending Jacob (and why you might want to skip Central Park).
Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.
Apple’s newest MacBook Air is $49 more affordable if you buy yours on Amazon right now. Or you can save even more by opting for a renewed previous-generation MacBook Air, which is now available for less than $850.
Renewed stock doesn’t last long, so bag yours before they’re gone.
Apple remains the king of the wearables, according to IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker, published Thursday. In total, the analytics firm claims that total device shipments for all wearables hit 72.6 million in the first three months of 2020. Of these, Apple shipped 21.2 million units.
Apple Watch remains the world’s no. 1 smart watch by a wide margin. However, shipments declined as a result of coronavirus-related challenges in the supply chain. Nonetheless, the continuing might of Apple’s AirPods — helped by Apple’s Beats “hearables” — was more than enough to offset the decline.
Future AirPods could boast ambient light sensors that track users’ heart rate, head movements and steps taken, Digitimes claimed Monday.
The report says the new health-tracking tech might find its way into Apple’s AirPods in the “coming 1-2” years. The feature reportedly will enable the ultra-popular wireless earbuds to track various activities and potentially monitor certain health conditions.
Apple’s newest wireless headphones have returned to some of their lowest prices yet, thanks to big discounts from Amazon. You can save up to $50 on AirPods Pro, Powerbeats Pro, and more for a limited time only.
You can also pick up second-generation AirPods for as little as $129, and there are big savings to enjoy on Beats headphones, too.
Apple’s newest AirPods, some of the best wireless headphones money can buy, are available at big discounts again. You can get yours for as little as $129.98 ($29.02 off) — or with a Wireless Case for just $149.98 ($49.02 off).
A slick, black-and-white ad showcasing AirPods won Best in Show at the prestigious ADC Annual Awards.
Titled “Bounce,” the ad shows an AirPods wearer springing through the streets, evoking the unencumbered, wireless freedom of these earbuds.
The iPhone 12 box may be a little bit lighter than you’re expecting — as Apple stops packaging its smartphones with wired EarPods to try and push sales of the AirPods.
That’s according to renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, in a note sent to clients Wednesday. Kuo also thinks that Apple could offer big discounts and promotions related to the AirPods this holiday season. That would coincide with the arrival of Apple’s next-gen iPhones — minus free packaged earbuds.
Apple appears to be diversifying production outside Mainland China as a report Tuesday claims the company will be manufacturing its long-rumored over-the-ear headphones in Vietnam as well as China.
HTC has plans to release some wireless earbuds in the near future. And there are absolutely no prizes on offer for guessing which company’s existing earbuds they look like.
Android Police found evidence of the forthcoming U Ear AirPods earbuds Monday. The images were discovered through regulatory agency filings in the U.S. and Taiwan. Boasting a similar shape and glossy plastic design to Apple’s ultra-successful AirPods, the U Ear buds differ most significantly in HTC’s choice of black as a color option.
Then again, there’s nothing to stop it from releasing the product in a variety of different shades!
Pick up a pair of brand-new and awesome AirPods Pro today to enjoy $21.01 off the usual price. It’s the biggest discount yet from Amazon, reducing the price of Apple’s high-end wireless buds to just $227.99 with shipping.
It won’t last long, so enjoy it while you can!
There’s never been a better time to treat yourself to Apple’s newest AirPods, with brand-new models now available from Woot for under $125. They’re selling fast, so go claim yours before they’re all gone!
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Apple on Tuesday introduced the first firmware update for second-generation AirPods since late last year.
This should benefit those who received a replacement AirPods bud last month with unreleased firmware. They can now update both to the same firmware version so they’re usable again.
To make sure that the AirPods fit as many ears as possible, Apple engineers worked with Stanford University to create a giant database of information about ear dimensions.
That’s according to Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of product marketing, quoted in a new article for Wired, published over the weekend.
Apple is allegedly prepping a set of over-ear wireless headphones that will be part of the AirPods line.
Currently, the company offers headphones in this style under its Beats label. But the upcoming model supposedly reflects a change in strategy. If you’re looking for high-quality alternatives, you might want to check out the Sennheiser website for premium audio options like the Sennheiser HD 550 open-back headphones.