APPLE is reportedly plotting a major shakeup for the next iteration of its hugely popular AirPods.
Insiders claim that the California iPhone-maker will introduce an overhauled design that axes the earbuds’ iconic protruding stem.
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Due for release later this year, the pricey audio tech will be the follow-up to 2019’s AirPods Pro, sources told Taiwanese news site DigiTimes.
They claimed that Taiwanese chipmaker Winbond is expected to supply flash memory for the next-generation AirPods Pro.
It appears to line up with previous reports that the “AirPods Pro 2” are coming in 2021 and will sport a radical redesign.
Apple is reportedly looking to match the bean-shaped designs of wireless earbuds offered by the likes of Samsung and Amazon.
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Sources told DigiTimes that the new-look accessories could arrive within the first half of this year.
“[Winbond] will be running its NOR flash production lines at nearly full capacity utilization during the six-month period,” the site said.
Rumours of new, smaller AirPods in the works have been rumbling on for a while.
Sources told Bloomberg in December that Apple is preparing to update both versions of the AirPods.
Those are the £160 standard AirPods, introduced in 2016, as well as 2019’s £250 AirPod Pros, which feature noise cancellation technology.
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Both new versions of the earphones are getting smaller, insiders claimed.
While the entry-level AirPods will lose some of their stem, the Pros will apparently drop them completely.
That would put them in line with earbuds released by Samsung and Google in recent months, which feature similar designs.
Apple could also bolster the battery life of the gadgets, and introduce new microchips to them, the report said.
Apple AirPods – what you’ll need
Here’s what you need to know…
To use the AirPods, you’ll need to make sure you have one of the following:
- iPhone with iOS 10 or later
- iPad with iOS 10 or later
- iPod Touch with iOS 10 or later
- Apple Watch with WatchOS 3 or later
- Mac with MacOS Sierra or later
You’ll also need to sign up for an iCloud account for the AirPods to work properly.
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In other news, Apple is reportedly working an a new, cheaper set of AirPods planned for release later this year.
The iPhone-maker released its first over-ear headphones last year – and they cost a whopping £549.
And, check out our review of the impressive iPhone 12 Pro.
What do you make of Apple’s AirPods plans? Let us know in the comments!
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
