Apple today announced a new pair of wireless "AirPods," which provide up to 5 hours of music playback and high-quality sound through a "seamless and automatic connection" between devices. The AirPods include a rechargeable battery case that delivers up to 24 hours of battery life.
The AirPods connect instantly with a single tap and switch between iCloud-connected Apple devices on the fly. Playback is controlled by dual-optical sensors that "know when you are listening" and will pause music automatically when taken out. A double tap on the buds invokes Siri, allowing the user to select and control music, change the volume, check battery life or perform any other Siri task. This functionality is enabled by an ultra-low power Apple W1 chip inside, which also delivers higher quality audio, claims Apple.
"AirPods are the first headphones to deliver a breakthrough wireless audio experience, and with the new Apple W1 chip they deliver innovative features including high quality sound, great battery life and automatic setup," said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "AirPods are simple and magical to use, with no switches or buttons, automatically connecting to all your Apple devices simply and seamlessly, and letting you access Siri with just a double tap. We can’t wait for users to try them with iPhone 7 and Apple Watch Series 2."
Each AirPod also has an additional accelerometer that detects when the user is speaking, while a pair of beam-forming microphones focus on the sound of the user's voice and filters out external noise.
The AirPods come with a Lightning cable for charging the case, and will be available to buy from late October in stores and online at a price of $159. The earphones require Apple devices running iOS 10, watchOS 3 or macOS Sierra.
The company also showcased a pair of new, lightning-connected EarPods at the media event in San Francisco. These wired headphones will be included in the box for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, along with a Lightning-to-3.5mm headphone adapter.
Sunday December 22, 2024 8:09 am PST by Joe Rossignol
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr. The report cites a source within Apple.
The report said that iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that is capable of running iOS 18, which would mean the following models:
iPhone 16
iPhone 16 Plus
iPhone 16 Pro
iPhone 16 Pro Max
iPhone 15
iPhone 15 Plus
iPhone 15 Pro
...
Friday December 20, 2024 2:22 pm PST by Juli Clover
It's looking like 2025 is going to be an important year for Apple, with the company planning to revamp the iPhone, push further into smart home products, and improve Apple Intelligence. There are tons of new products rumored for 2025, including new iPhones, M4 Macs, a smart home command center, and much more.
We've highlighted the top five Apple products that will have the biggest impact in...
Sunday December 22, 2024 8:33 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple earlier this month released macOS 15.2, and in doing so it accidentally confirmed new MacBook Air models coming next year.
Apple accidentally released macOS 15.2 restore files for unreleased "MacBook Air (13-inch, M4, 2025)" and "MacBook Air (15-inch, M4, 2025)" models. While it no surprise that the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models were going to be updated with the M4 ...
Saturday December 21, 2024 4:45 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple appears to be internally testing iOS 18.2.1 for the iPhone, based on evidence of the software update in our website's analytic logs this week. The logs have accurately revealed many iOS versions before they were released.
iOS 18.2.1 should be a minor update that fixes bugs and/or addresses security vulnerabilities, but it is unclear which specific issues might be resolved. The update...
Saturday December 21, 2024 2:03 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple plans to release a new "HomePod" with a 7-inch LCD display, an A18 chip, and Apple Intelligence support in 2025, according to DigiTimes.
Google's Nest Hub
It is unclear how much the screen-equipped HomePod would cost, but Apple is seemingly aiming for a reasonable price. In a paywalled report this week, the supply chain publication said Apple has selected China-based manufacturer Tianma ...
Apple launched the controversial "trashcan" Mac Pro eleven years ago today, introducing one of its most criticized designs that persisted through a period of widespread discontentment with the Mac lineup.
The redesign took the Mac Pro in an entirely new direction, spearheaded by a polished aluminum cylindrical design that became unofficially dubbed the "trashcan" in the Mac community. All of ...
Tuesday December 17, 2024 9:02 am PST by Joe Rossignol
The current Apple TV 4K was released more than two years ago, so the streaming device is becoming due for a hardware upgrade soon. Fortunately, it was recently rumored that a new Apple TV will launch at some point next year.
Below, we recap rumors about the next-generation Apple TV.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last week reported that Apple has been working on its own combined Wi-Fi and...
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we take a look ahead to all of Apple's expected hardware announcements for 2025.
Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos
Rumors and reports from a range of reliable sources suggest that Apple will release at least 22 new products in 2025, with a series of minor to major updates and refreshes planned for the iPhone, iPads,...
