“Apple Inc., seeking to bolster its wearables business, is working on upgrades to its wireless AirPods headphones, according to people familiar with the matter.,” Mark Gurman reports for Bloomberg. “Apple intends to frequently update the AirPods with new hardware features. The Cupertino, California-based technology giant is working on a new version for release as soon as this year with an upgraded wireless chip, the people said. A subsequent model for as early as next year is planned to be water resistant, they added, asking not to be identified discussing private product plans.”
“The model coming as early as this year will let people summon Apple’s Siri digital assistant without physically tapping the headphones by saying ‘Hey Siri,'” Gurman reports. “The idea for the water-resistant model is for the headphones to survive splashes of water and rain, the people said. They likely won’t be designed to be submerged in water.”
“Since launch, AirPods have been considered one of the top-performing Apple products and have resonated with both reviewers and consumers,” Gurman reports. “The product helped take wireless headphones mainstream… AirPods accounted for 85 percent of the money spent in the U.S. on wireless headphones since they debuted, research firm NPD Group estimated last year.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: The raft of cheap knockoff AirPods (check them out on Amazon) are testament to AirPods’ massive popularity.
As for upgrades, we just want a charge indicator on <exterior of our AirPods' case! Everything else about the current product is flawless.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Fred Mertz” and “Dan K” for the heads up.]
