“Apple’s new edition AirPods carry a brand-new piece of proprietary silicon the company calls the H1 (Headphone) chip,” Jonny Evans writes for Computerworld. “What do we know about it?”
“The W1 processor used in the last generation of AirPods [for] handling wireless connectivity. The H1 chip adds a range of other abilities focused on use in headphones,” Evans writes. “The W1 processor used in the last generation of AirPods handling wireless connectivity. The H1 chip adds a range of other abilities focused on use in headphones.”
“The H1 supports better synchronization. In real terms, this means that when you pick up a call using AirPods you’ll connect to the call faster. It also means sync is faster when you switch between different Apple devices as [as] audio source – such as when switching from an iPhone to an Apple Watch when jogging,” Evans writes. “The H1’s sync enhancements mean that you can use ‘Hey Siri’ for a range of tasks…”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We love all of the new features, but we’re also ordering new AirPods because, after two years of use, our old AirPods batteries are quite tired. We can’t wait to have long-lasting AirPods again!
SEE ALSO:
Apple’s new, 2nd-gen. AirPods offer lower latency for mobile gaming – March 20, 2019
Apple reveals second generation AirPods with new Apple-designed H1 chip – March 20, 2019
Yes, one major problem is that they seem to have about a 2 year life span before the batteries hold little charge. Mine are very tired indeed. That means it costs around $AU110 per year to own them.
Wouldn’t all such devices suffer from battery degradation over a period of time? That’s the nature of batteries. It would be good if there was a way to at least refresh older batteries but I’m not sure if that’s possible. Are you saying that Apple should offer AirPod replacements for a reduced fee at the two-year mark? That doesn’t seem likely to happen.
At least with other devices, there’s a means of replacing the battery even if that means taking it to the Apple Store to get it replaced but not so with AirPods. Would suck if you have to buy a new pair every 2 years.
When AirPods batteries die, Apple provides replacement earpieces for $49 each. Of course the replacement earpieces are the first generation model. If you want the new hotness, you need to buy a complete set of AirPods 2.
No I’m not saying that, just that it’s not a buy once proposition. It’s a replace every two years scenario. With iPhones I used to replace them every two years (nothing to do with battery life), but that has increased to at least 3 years due to budgetary constraints, but with AirPods, it seems they’re simply not going to work very well after two years of constant use.
???????BATTERIES
There’s a battery service program for AirPods. $50 a piece. It means you can replace just the 2 AirPods (not the case) for $100. They are brand new ones of course as the battery cannot be changed. The case battery is fine.
I’ll look into that and see how much more expensive it is in Australia.
Wow, it’s $AU109 each for replacement. Very expensive. Think I’ll save for Gen 2.