But… didn’t we just go through this? Apple’s AirPods 2.0 have not even reached all their shipping destinations yet, and rumours are already rolling in saying we’ll see an updated version soon. Very soon.
Sleuths over at DigiTimes report that the next-gen wireless earbuds made by Apple will feature noise-cancelling. We were expecting the latest version to feature the ability to block outside sound, so this isn’t all that surprising. The report points out that adding Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) to the Airpods will likely give battery life a knock, which might explain the next portion of current rumours: A bigger battery.
Ming-Chi Kuo, the analyst whose Apple product predictions have previously proved accurate, confirmed rumours that we’ll see the new iterations late this year. In Q4 of 2019, if you want to get specific. Kuo mentions the probability of two new models of AirPods that’ll feature an improved wireless chip or increased battery life. Kuo’s not sure, so we’re not sure. Perhaps both? Both would probably make sense, happening alongside noise cancellation.
Kuo also mentions a possible price of $159, which converts to around R2,300. The first-gen AirPods retail for R2,900 in South Africa and the AirPods 2.0 (that ship with a wireless charging-capable case) retail at R3,700. If 3.0 offers the same wireless charging features that we saw on 2.0, and come in at a better local price, Apple fans may expect to hand off around R3k for some new in-ears.
This time around we hope to see noise cancellation, waterproofing, health-monitoring, and a black-coloured option — all things we hoped to see in the AirPods 2.0 at launch.