Everything you need to know about the AirPods 2
AirPods were, upon their release back in 2016, a bit of a laughing stock thanks to their strange looks. Two years ago, people compared Apple’s smart earbuds to earrings, but their success since then has been no laughing matter. Indeed, in the run-up to Christmas 2017, the AirPods had sold out literally everywhere, disappearing from Apple, John Lewis, Argos and any shop that stocked them, really.
Now, Apple fans everywhere are itching to get their hands on the AirPods’ successor, though we don’t know when we’ll be able to get our hands on them yet. Apple’s recent announcement that the company will be holding an event on 30 October has raised hopes that we’ll see the successor to the now-two-year-old AirPods.
There hasn’t really been any indication of that though, but we’ll continue to hold out hope. At Apple’s September event we saw their Apple Watch Series 4, which speculators think may give some foresight into what we can expect from the AirPods 2. In theory, we could see these new AirPods follow the Watch 4’s lead – heart-rate monitors and the like – as Apple is on something of a health kick, so to speak. It’s just speculation for now, but perhaps your earphones could be joining the wellness brigade. Watch this space.
So what do we know about the AirPods 2 and when are they coming out? Read on to find out everything we know.
AirPods 2 release date
Unfortunately, Apple’s – usually predictable – annual release pattern is hard to pin down when it comes to the AirPods. As the AirPods are still a first-generation product, we can’t use previous releases to predict a release date like we can with the iPhone, the iPad and the Apple Watch. But what we do have, are rumours and our own speculation, and those rumours point to a 2018 release, suggesting a two-year gap between generations of AirPods.
A February report by Bloomberg has certainly added fuel to that fiery rumour. Citing ‘people familiar with the matter’, the report claims that the AirPods 2 will be coming out later this year. According to the report, the AirPods 2, which are internally called B288, will have an upgraded wireless chip, and will allow the wearer to summon Siri just by saying ‘Hey Siri’. This means that the user will no longer have to tap on the side of the AirPods to say a command. The report also claims that there will be a waterproof version of the AirPods that will be released in 2019.
But contradicting Bloomberg’s report, analyst Barclays via 9to5Mac suggests that next-gen AirPods will be released in 2019 rather than 2018, and will come with noise-cancelling features that use physical analogue methods instead of active noise cancellation. The report makes no reference to the 2018 AirPods 2 reported by Bloomberg, but it’s pretty fair to say that the two reports gel together quite nicely.
The Bloomberg report did indeed mention third-gen waterproof AirPods that would be released in 2019, so the Barclays report may be referencing these instead of AirPods 2. Simply by design, waterproofing would increase noise isolation as seals would have to be implemented to stop water from getting in. Whether this also means that Apple will skip a 2018 release altogether, we’ll just have to wait and see, but it seems more likely that Apple’s creating a separate third-generation AirPods in 2019.
Last year, respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has often been correct about Apple releases in the past, said that the second generation of AirPods will be released in the second half of 2018.
“Media reports over the past few days on brisk AirPods demand, and Apple struggling to keep up with holiday season demand, align with our findings and positive prediction on AirPods, in several previous reports,” Kuo wrote in a research note obtained by MacRumors last month. “In 2018, we predict AirPods shipments will grow 100% [year on year] to 26-28m units. We forecast the [average selling price] for upgraded AirPods in [the second half of 2018] may increase, further benefiting business momentum.”
Another hint we might get the AirPods 2 this year was Apple’s announcement of a second-generation AirPods charging case. This will allow the AirPods case to be charged via the upcoming AirPower wireless charging case, which is set for release this year. Apple unveiled the second-gen charging case at the iPhone event in September 2017, explaining that the case will be coming out in the future. This leads us to think that the AirPods 2 will only be released when the AirPower charging case is released, so that Apple can link the second-gen charging case with the second-gen AirPods.
This has been further confirmed in a report by Apple Toolbox, who claims that the AirPods 2 have caused the AirPower case to be delayed. In the report, the site says that instead of releasing the new charging case on its own, Apple will be holding the case and the AirPower mat back until AirPods 2 launch this year.
Many believed Apple would follow the same timing as its 2016 release and announce AirPods 2 at their keynote on 12 September, with a subsequent release date. This proved to be unfounded, however, as Apple instead used the opportunity to announce a range of new iPhones and a brand new Apple Watch.
AirPods 2 design
Apple’s EarPods have stayed the same classic white for years and years, and the AirPods did not deviate. We doubt Apple will switch from lovable white for the AirPods 2, but we can certainly dream. The iPhone and the Apple Watch come in a variety of colours, so why not extend these colours to the AirPods 2?
However, we already knew that the new charging case would look largely the same, coming in white only. This means it’s unlikely we’ll see a wider range of colours for the AirPods 2.
A new image from the iOS 12 beta does show one change to the AirPower charging case, though – an external LED. This would be useful as it gives users an indication as to when the case is fully charged.
Besides that, we hope Apple will improve on the fit of the AirPods, and maybe include some rubber tips that will make them feel more secure in the ears. The design isn’t likely to change much – they’ll probably still have that receiver dangling from your ear canal.
Early October saw a leak courtesy of serial Apple leaker Ben Geskin, purportedly revealing the AirPods 2. Eagle-eyed followers spotted a discrepancy in the images, though – the model number on the box was the same as the first-gen AirPods. Geskin has since acknowledged that the images are probably fake, so we’ll keep waiting for leaks of the real thing as they’re sure to come at some point.
AirPods 2 features
Apart from the Bloomberg report, which suggests that the second-gen 2018 AirPods will have an upgraded wireless chip and will allow the wearer to summon Siri just by saying ‘Hey Siri’, other details have been pretty scant. We don’t expect the AirPods 2 to introduce any more features than the ones already stated above, but patents are always good indicators if the company does end up having something special up its sleeve.
A recent forecast from market research group CCS Insight predicts that Apple will push into the ‘smart hearable’ market, saying that “it’s only a matter of time before Apple adds more functions to its AirPods. If this happens, Apple could kick-start this device category like it shook up the smartwatch market with the Apple Watch.”
Here are the features that Apple might be putting into the AirPods 2.
1. Biometric sensors
Apple is a big fan of biometric sensors, implementing health and security features such as a heart-rate monitor, Touch ID and Face ID into the Apple Watch and the iPhone, so this one doesn’t really come out of left field. In July 2017, Apple was granted their third patent regarding biometric sensors in the AirPods. This patent details a biometric sensor within the AirPods that can take measurements when pressed up against your ear. The sensor will allow users to measure their own internal temperature.
2. Automated audio passthrough
An Apple patent passed in July 2017 details an acoustic pass valve, a flap that can be opened to let sound from the environment into your ears. This would allow the AirPods to cancel outside noise when listening to music, but allow it to pass through when it detects that you’re running, for example. This is more efficient than existing methods of active noise cancellation, which typically involve mixing in ambient sound from external microphones. A Bloomberg report from earlier this summer quoted inside sources claiming that Apple is working on noise cancellation tech.
3. A speaker hybrid
Apple patented this way back in 2011, but it was only granted in February 2017. This patent describes how headphones can turn into speakers by using special sensors that can detect when the headphones are placed at a specific angle. We think this one is pretty unlikely though, seeing as the AirPods are so small.
4. An updated AirPods speaker-hybrid charging case
Another speaker-hybrid patent has surfaced, this time for the AirPods charging case. And unlike the previous patent, this one seems a lot more likely considering that an updated AirPods charging case has already been announced.
Despite being announced last September, there’s been no information about the new AirPods charging case, even though it’s expected to arrive this year alongside the AirPower charging mat.
According to the patent, the updated AirPods charging case could double up as a speaker, as well as being a home four your AirPods.
“The case is further configured to receive media […] by the wireless earbuds and transmit the media to a non-wireless output device connected to the case,” the patent reads. “The case may further include its own wireless radio that can wirelessly communicate audio to the wireless earbuds when the earbuds are not in the case.”
The patent also suggests that the charging case could be a speaker in its own right and could connect via Bluetooth to other Apple devices. Whether this feature will be included in the updated AirPods charging case, we’ll just have to see, but if it does, we could find out at WWDC 2018 when (hopefully) the AirPods 2 are announced.
AirPods 2: Our wishlist
While the above are based on patent filings, they don’t contain the things we really want from the next generation of AirPods. Here’s our wishlist.
1. Tap or button control without Siri
You used to only be able to control your AirPods by tapping on the side of the AirPods and talking to Siri. Thanks to iOS 11, however, there are new customisable controls. You can now customise what a tap on each side of the AirPod does. This includes skipping or going back to the previous track and playing or pausing a track. That said, it’s still not fully customisable. It’s still not possible to rewind or fast-forward, or even increase the volume without asking Siri to do it for you or taking out your phone.
Trust us when we say that this can be a little embarrassing, especially when you’re on a packed train. We’d like to see Apple introduce actual buttons or a wider variety of tap controls to the side of the AirPods, removing the need to vocalise a request for an increase in volume.
2. Multipoint connectivity
While the AirPods are described as smart earbuds, they’re not so smart if they can’t connect to multiple devices at the same time. Multipoint connected headphones can detect which device you’re listening to and switch between devices without any user intervention. While the first-gen AirPods can connect to both your Mac and your iPhone, they can’t switch seamlessly, and you have to manually tell the AirPods to switch device. We’d also like them to be more Android- and Microsoft-friendly, for example, better and simpler pairing integration with Android devices.
Source: expertreviews.co.uk