“Apple analyst KGI Ming-Chi Kuo today released a report indicating Apple will release a new version of AirPods in the second half of 2018,” Benjamin Mayo reports for 9to5Mac. “The analyst does not go into much detail about what exactly will change in the next-generation model, however he notes that they will adopt a smaller quartz component.”
“KGI also addresses the supply constraints Apple is currently experiencing with AirPods,” Mayo reports. “Ming-Chi Kuo says that the battery rigid-flex PCB is the main bottleneck in the supply chain.”
Mayo reports, “Reiterating his expectations that Apple will double AirPods shipments next year to more than 26 million units, the analyst believes Q1 AirPods could beat the usual sales fall compared to holiday seasonality.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: This new version of Apple’s very successful wearable sounds like more than the slight revision of moving the charging light to the AirPods case exterior that Apple has already previewed ahead of their AirPower charging mat release “early next year.”
Could always use another pair.
Oh, crap, I never purchased a pair before. Oh, double crap, I won’t purchase any pair. Woe is me. Why do I keep not buying these things?
I have been very impressed with sound quality of the AirPods. The reproduction is exactly what I expect to hear which means the balance for bass and treble is extremely good.
Gone are the days that my bluetooth headphones would sound tinny because the fit was wrong and all the bass was missing. The battery life is good and the recharging holder a great idea. The units stay in the ear well and seem to handle being used when exercising.
This is a good example of an Apple product that answers all the deficiencies of competing products.
One suggestion is to sell black as well as white units in the next revision. That would increase sales but at this point this is not a big problem for Apple.
make them in matte black and take my money. Not that i don’t love the white ones but they do still stick out like a sore thumb
Which would make loose AirPods more difficult to locate.
I’m thinking fluorescent yellow.
I hope the next models also have shorter lag times. As a user of Voiceover, having to wait half a second to hear the results of an action is like having to wait half a second for the screen to change after tapping something. Even my SX991 Bluetooth earbuds are better than that, still a little laggy, but Bluetooth 4.1 blows me away. Devin Prater Assistive Technology Instructor
, Microsoft Outlook, Excel, Word, and Powerpoint instructor certified by World Services for the Blind
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My $30 Anker’s fit better than any Apple earbuds and the Bluetooth functionality is excellent. Apple’s earbuds have always fit me poorly and for the life of me, I don’t know why Apple doesn’t broaden the fit capabilities. Apple seems resolute to dismiss the percentage of people like me.