| Cult of Mac

Confessions of an AirPods virgin

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Apple AirPods 3 Review
What is it like to have AirPods 3 be your first Apple wireless headphones?
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

What I’m about to write is so shocking you might want to sit down: AirPods 3 are the first Apple wireless headphones I’ve ever owned. I never saw a need to pay the Apple Tax when I had cheap wireless earbuds that were good enough.

But I changed my mind for the newest model. Here are all the reasons I’m happy about the purchase. And the one reason I’m not.

AirPods 3 teardown can’t explain boost in battery life

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AirPods 3 teardown can’t explain boost in battery life
Each AirPods 3 battery offers less capacity than the ones in AirPods Pro.
Photo: 52audio

Apple’s recently released AirPods 3 have a longer battery life than either AirPods 2 or AirPods Pro. But a teardown of the new truly wireless headphones finds batteries that can’t fully explain the extra time between charges.

Watch a video of the teardown showing why along with some other internal details of AirPods 3.

AirPods 3 review roundup: Sounds great!

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AirPods 3
The new AirPods are resistant to both sweat and water, with an IPX4 rating for both the earbuds and the case.
Photo: Apple

The first wave of AirPods 3 reviews just came out, and they’re full of good news for those considering Apple’s latest truly wireless earbuds. Sound quality draws praise, as does battery life. But reviewers don’t seem as happy about the lack of active noise cancellation. And some would have preferred silicone ear tips.

Read on for reviewers’ specific comments about AirPods 3.

Upgraded AirPods gain spatial audio with Dolby Atmos and more

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The new AirPods 3 are $179.
The new AirPods 3 are $179.
Photo: Apple

Apple Unleashed event bug Apple used part of its “Unleashed” event on Monday to announce a major refresh of it signature earbuds. The new AirPods 3 feature spatial audio with Dolby Atmos and dynamic head tracking and come with a redesign that makes them look more like AirPods Pro (although without the silicone ear tips).

They won’t be Cupertino’s entry-level earbuds, though, as the company said AirPods 2 will remain in the lineup.

AirPods could soon drop in price

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In the future, your AirPods might take your temperature, check your posture and help with hearing.
Apple might be about to make AirPods more affordable.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel

Apple is expected to introduce the third-generation of AirPods this week. But the current version of these truly wireless headphones reportedly won’t be discontinued. This might result in AirPods 2 dropping in price.

It would be quite a change, as Apple’s earbuds are some of the most expensive on the market.

Apple could host multiple events in September for a bunch of new products

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There are lots of things that make Apple so great, Cook says.
But don't get your hopes up.
Photo: Apple

 

 

Cupertino has previously staggered its fall events over September, October and November. But according to some sources, it will unleash a barrage of hardware within just a few weeks this time around.

We’re expecting big refreshes for iPhone and Apple Watch, as well as a new iPad and iPad mini, third-generation AirPods, and more.

Listen up! AirPods 3 could enter mass-production next month

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AirPods 3 might borrow some features of AirPods Pro.
Coming soon to a pair of ears near you.
Graphic: Cult of Mac

Apple’s next-gen AirPods, the third iteration of the company’s regular AirPods, will go into production next month, Nikkei Asia reported Wednesday.

This would be the first upgrade for Apple’s standard issue AirPods since the second-gen version debuted March 2019. The original AirPods made their debut in December 2016.

Days of explosive growth for AirPods may already be over

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AirPods Pro with black background discounts
AirPods have been a massive winner for Apple since 2016.
Photo: Apple

The massive growth days of the AirPods may already be over, according to renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

In a new note to clients seen by Cult of Mac, Kuo said he anticipates a year-over-year decline in AirPods shipments in 2021. If true, this would be the first year in AirPods history that sales didn’t experience explosive growth.