Apple’s developed a bit of a tendency of late — everything seems to be going pro. First it was the Macbook, then it was the iPad, followed by the iPhone a few weeks ago. Next up? Apple’s AirPods, in the shape of the newly-announced AirPods Pro.

Pro tools

The company has announced its upgraded AirPods Pro, an upgraded (obviously) version of the standard AirPods. The difference, besides the price? Well, Apple has added noise-cancelling to the Pro in-ears, as well as new silicon tips. The point, this time around, is to shut out as much noise as possible. Apple’s been on a bit of a health kick of late and, turns out, cranking the volume in your ears can hurt ’em.

But that’s not a problem if you’re using noise-cancelling headphones, since your ears don’t have to compete with outside sources of… well, noise. The AirPods Pro feature microphones that detect and allow Apple’s buds to invert incoming noise, leaving you with just your music/podcasts/movies audio. But, if you’re the type to take ’em roadside, they’ll also feature a ‘transparency’ mode that will let some noise slip in. So you’ll know there’s a truck barreling down at you before learning about it on impact. Smart.

The headphones will feature a five-hour battery (dropping to 4.5 hours with noise cancelling active). The case will keep them going for another 18 hours. Siri will also be on call, with voice activation taking care of that little operation. The AirPods Pro are set to launch (overseas) from 30 October and will set buyers back about $250 (R3,630). We’ll have local info the moment it becomes available.

Source: The Guardian