Apple will release AirPods Pro 2 in the second half of 2022, according to TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. And when it does, the new buds will replace the current AirPods Pro rather than joining them in the lineup. That would signal a strategy change, Kuo said.
Why? After Apple added AirPods 3 alongside AirPods 2 in its earbuds lineup, it noticed a lot of people stuck with the less-expensive product rather than going with the upgrade. Apple wouldn’t want that to happen again.
I’ve misplaced my AirPods case. It’s in my house … somewhere. Fortunately, I can use the Find My app to locate it, as though it were a lost AirPod or AirTag.
Ha, ha, ha! No, I can’t. AirPods cases don’t offer Find My support. Just as the feature is missing from far too many other Apple accessories.
This needs to change. Find My is amazing, but limited by not being on devices that need it.
Update: In autumn 2022, Apple built Find My support into AirPods Pro 2, a sign that the tracking system might be coming to more peripherals.
AirPods are some of the best wireless earbuds on the market. Once you use them with your iPhone, it’s hard to switch to something else. Unfortunately, all that AirPods magic doesn’t necessarily translate when you use Apple earbuds with a Mac.
There’s a workaround, though. The AirBuddy app adds some of that beautiful, Apple-style simplicity to the “using AirPods with a Mac” equation. And right now the Mac app is on sale for $6.29 with code DOWNLOADNOW.
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by saving 20% on outstanding accessories for all your Apple devices in the Cult of Mac Store.
We’ve got cases, premium Apple Watch bands, do-it-all charging stands, sturdy in-car mounts, MacBook risers, and lots, lots more. Use the promo code PATRICK at checkout to take advantage of the discount today only.
Whether you’re a traveler, a commuter or just need to charge a bunch of devices around the house, you might find the new Baseus Blade 100W Power Bank useful. Baseus rolled out the “notebook thin” device on Thursday.
Planning to buy some new Apple gear? Sell your old Apple gadgets to Cult of Mac now to earn an extra $20.
Simply use the code UPGRADE at checkout to top-up your buyback quote. The offer is good through the end of March, so enjoy it while you can.
Fresh off its rollout of a smartphone that can charge wirelessly at 100W, Honor said at MWC 2022 it will offer new earbuds that monitor temperature. The new buds look like AirPods Pro. And temperature sensing is a function Apple has reportedly tested in AirPods.
The former Huawei subsidiary, based in China, said its new $199 Earbuds 3 Pro combine a temperature sensor with an AI temperature algorithm. It has an 80% chance of coming within plus or minus 0.3 degrees Celsius of an accurate reading, the company said.
If you suffer from a cluttered desktop — and who doesn’t, at least sometimes? — Choetech has something for you. Right now you can preorder its new Invisible Wireless Charger and take one more item off the junk pile.
Of course, unless you also suffer from some seriously magical thinking, you know it’s not literally invisible. But it does hide the charger under your desk so you can power up your iPhone or other Qi-enabled gadget right on the desktop without another piece of gear sitting there.
Blogger Derek Seaman may be an IT systems architect in his day job, but he also designs and builds advanced computer setups. That is, if his home office is any indication. Which it is.
He shared his MacBook Pro-driven workstation — actually, the whole room — with Cult of Mac recently.
First there was Touch ID, then Face ID. Now Ear ID could be on the way. Apple filed for a patent on a biometric system using AirPods wireless earbuds.
The idea is that headphones should be able to identify who is wearing them and refuse to work for unidentified wearers. But if the system is accurate enough, it could potentially be used to unlock an iPhone or Apple Watch without needing a passcode.
In a world awash with multi-device charging stations that juice your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods at the same time, it’s refreshing to see an unfamiliar design once in a while. Intelli provided one recently when it launched its new StepUp Magnetic Wireless Charging Station.
With its tidy little pop-out charging platforms, the MagSafe-compatible StepUp can be a sleek charger just for your iPhone or transform into a 3-in-1 for your trio of devices. But even fully deployed, the design is compact.
Amazon has an answer for what to do with that gift card you received over the holidays. The recently released AirPods 3 are once again selling for their lowest price ever: $139.99.
And there are significant deals on AirPods Pro and AirPods 2 as well.
Among accessories maker Satechi’s new products showing at CES 2022 is the new 2-in-1 Headphone Stand with Wireless Charger designed for AirPods Max, rolled out Thursday.
While a sleek, stainless steel arm suspends your headphones, the base charges your iPhone or other Qi-enabled device and provides a USB-C port to power up the headphones, too.
Google plans to make its latest Pixel and Wear OS devices more compelling alternatives to iPhone and Apple Watch by ripping off some of Cupertino’s most popular software features — including spatial audio and AirDrop.
The Android-maker revealed the long list of improvements, which will span all of Google’s software platforms as well as Windows, this week at the CES trade show in Las Vegas. Here’s what you can expect if you plan to ditch your Apple devices and swap sides.
The holidays are finally over, and if you were lucky enough to receive an Apple Watch, iPhone or AirPods as gifts, this latest giveaway is for you. Journey, a maker of innovative consumer electronics, is giving three lucky winners its 3 in 1 Wireless Charging Station.
This minimalist charger takes up little space and will charge your iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch at the same time. If you want to simplify your life by cutting out cords and charging hassles, make sure to enter this Cult of Mac giveaway.
Apple will launch a second generation of AirPods Pro in the fall, according to an analyst who’s also a reliable tipster. The upgraded earbuds allegedly will offer better sound than the current version, via support for lossless audio. And there reportedly will be other changes, too, including a new design.
Long before the launch, AirPods of all kinds are shipping like crazy, thanks to Apple’s lowering the cost, according to the same analyst.
In a festive New Year’s promotion, Elago is offering every accessory in the Cult of Mac Store — hundreds of items, all in one place — at 15% off through January 7. No matter what Apple products you may have received as gifts over the holidays, there’s something for your in the sale. We cover some highlights below.
A year after the debut of AirPods Max, an analysis of user reviews found that buyers like the over-the-ear headphones less than rival products. The main problem: price.
For comparison, the same study by consumer research company Revuze shows people who buy Apple’s basic AirPods seem much more satisfied. And user reviews of other Apple products are usually quite positive, too.
“It is off-brand and surprising to see how poorly the AirPods Max product was received over the course of the year since its release,” Revuze CEO Boaz Grinvald told Cult of Mac.
This MagSafe charger post is brought to you by Journey, a brand of Alogic.
You probably have cables to charge your iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch. But wouldn’t it be great to charge them all at once, in one place, like on your nightstand or desk? Without a bunch of wires? With the handsome new Journey 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station, you can.
Journey’s newest charger also serves as a stand for your gadgets — and it looks good doing it. And, by the way, if you act fast, you can get the new charging station for 30% off with the coupon X30.
The AirPods experience is great overall, but let’s be honest. The way Apple’s earbuds work with a Mac is a pale imitation of the seamless functionality you get when using them with iPhones and iPads.
Luckily, an innovative Mac app called AirBuddy fixes that. And right now, you can save 20% on AirBuddy with code CYBER20.
In gift-giving season, sometimes you get something you already have or something that isn’t quite what you wanted. So, if you can exchange the item for something you truly covet — like a killer pair of Apple AirPods or Beats earbuds — you probably should.
But how do you choose between earbuds made by Apple and earbuds made by Apple subsidiary Beats by Dre? We’ve laid out the specs for four popular sets of buds, below, pitting AirPods Pro against Beats Fit Pro and the new AirPods (3rd gen) against Beats Studio Buds. But all the specs listed in each chart are the same, so it’s not difficult to compare and contrast all four.
Having all the Apple gadgets is great for fun and productivity. There’s nothing like the ease of having your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods all synced up together. Keeping them all charged and running throughout the day, though, can be a real pain. Apple is doing a better job, but the battery lives are still painfully short.
However, keeping your batteries topped off is a cinch with the MagStack Foldable 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station with Floating Stand. Even better, this MagStack station is available at a deep discount for our second Cyber Week sale! You can get this charging station on sale for only $35.99 (regularly $69) when you use the code CYBER20.
An iPhone and AirPods can be used to listen to conversations without people knowing. Such iPhone spying is really just a tricky use of the Live Listen feature built into iOS.
And, even if you’re not a budding James Bond, knowing about this trick could keep someone from eavesdropping on you. Here’s what to do if you want to use your iPhone to spy on someone. (Or what to watch out for if you don’t want to fall victim to iPhone spying.)
You only need one charger, even if you have four devices that you use constantly. With the 4-in-1 Foldable Wireless Charging Station, you can consolidate all of your chargers into one powerful device.
And right now, it’s on sale for $49.95 (regular price: $54).
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Our 2022 hopes are up, up and away on the latest rumors about what new features iPhone 14 Pro might bring. The camera sounds like it will once again deliver impressive gains, but it’s the potential for an iPhone 4-style makeover that’s really got us drooling.
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video livestream, embedded below.