“The AirPods truly-wireless earbuds are on track to be Apple’s best growth product for the foreseeable future, according to Ming-Chi Kuo,” Benjamin Mayo reports for 9to5Mac. “Kuo said that Apple will release an ‘upgraded model with wireless charging support’ in the first quarter of 2019.
“Kuo also said an all-new design AirPods is currently on track to launch in early 2020,” Mayo reports. “Kuo forecasts dramatic unit growth for AirPods with units rising from 16 million units in 2017 to over 100 million by 2021. He calls them Apple’s most popular accessory ever.”
“Kuo refers to the 1Q2019 update as a ‘model with wireless charging support,’ which at first sounds like the wireless charging case Apple originally announced with the AirPower mat in September 2017,” Mayo reports. “Kuo does not go into detail about what the ‘all-new design’ 2020 AirPods will feature. Previous rumors have suggested features like sweat resistance, Hey Siri integration and more.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We want this new charging cases, if only to have the light on the outside where it belongs!
I hope new AirPods ship faster than the new AirPower.
Apple just published a tech paper about speech recognition on HomePods. I hope (and assume) Apple is working equally hard on the next generations (plural) of AirPods. Apple has been making some nice strides in audio recently (separate tweeters in the new iPads, for example). I think we all have something to look forward to with new AirPods! From Apple’s paper…
where:
n is the time index
k is the frequency index
l,p are the impulse response time indices
yk are the M are the microphone signals containing echo, reverberation, noise, and competing talkers
xk are the Nx channels of playback signals
sk are the Ns speech sources
vk are the background noise components captured by M
Hk are the multichannel impulse responses from the loudspeakers to the microphones, a total of MNx responses
Gk are the multichannel impulse responses from speech sources to the microphones, a total of MNs responses
citation…?
https://machinelearning.apple.com/
Thanks
I don’t have to have a special table for my MBA to stay put, nor do I have to modify my fingers in any way to productively use my Apple Keyboard while attached to my Mac mini. Imagine if either of these scenarios weren’t true.
I cannot say the same for my Apple ear buds. Every iteration “works” if I remain a lump on a couch/chair. Any movement, without a 3rd-party “glove”? Forget it…unless it’s sloth-like.
Why would Apple NOT bring design excellence to this problem? Because it’s a minority experience? Maybe so, but why do most 3-d party vendors create forms that acknowledge the need; NOT denying function in light of form? True excellence in this realm includes finding a complete function that fits the creator’s form ideals.
I have no idea what you are replying to….
The article notes new design coming in ’20. Wireless charging, sweat resistance and better Siri integration are all great, but better fit for a broader base is pretty elemental. Is there a need to go on to make an applicable connection for you?
“Apple’s best growth product for the foreseeable future”??
I mean the AirPods are well featured although I do not like the “ear discharge” design.
But there are so many excellent Bluetooth earpods around, and it again boils down to the price. In the country where I live, it costs C$219 (C$247nw/tax). It’s not that I cannot afford it (I want it and can easily afford it) but it does not attract me, price and design wise. Exchange fluctuate so Apple can certainly use a conservative rate (not that it fluctuates widely) but Apply applies the Apple Tax everywhere, including the exchange rate that has nothing to do with their products themselves. Just another profit centre. I truly hope that Apple would not jack up the price again on this one.
But my most concern is “Apple’s best growth product for the foreseeable future”? part. Whatever you do, please just do not forget that we do not ever see again Apple becoming another one pony trick company. No AirPods after iPhone nonsense.