With Apple ditching the headphone jack for its upcoming phone, the iPhone 7, the company's strategy certainly is a bold one given that the sales of their flagship product aren't doing so hot recently.
Mix opinions are being expressed by consumers for the sacking of the jack. Some are crossing their arms and shaking their heads on it, while others are thrilled that Apple is brave enough to further push the future of wireless technology.
But impressed or disappointed, the iPhone 7 will come out the way it is. So let's just look at what Apple's Airpods have in-store for us.
A photo posted by Lucyhedges (@lucyhedges) on Sep 8, 2016 at 12:13pm PDT
The battery life of the Airpod is apparently five-hour long. Pair the wireless earbuds with its case and you get a 24-hour worth of use given that the case is full charged. That's not bad if you compare it with Samsung's Gear IconX, which only has 90-minute battery life.
Also, the Airpods is technically your standard Bluetooth earbuds/microphones, which means they're compatible with any old Windows PC, Android phone, or even a Blackberry if you're using one.
The earbuds, however, will truly shine when paired with a Mac, an iPhone, or an iPad thanks to the company's proprietary W1 chip allowing the wireless device to pair smoothly with an iPhone or iPad within range if its running iOS 10. The buds will also work with the upcoming macOS Sierra that'll come out late this September.
Furthermore, the Airpods function without buttons and will be operated with a touch sensor that can activate Siri. This, Apple claims, is where the magic really happen.
Apple has been making a lot announcement recently regarding the next iOS 10 update that has some major improvement to Siri, including the ability to access and use other apps. Users will be able to use Siri to send money with Square Cash, reply to a WhatsApp message, and control your Apple HomeKit-compatible smart appliances, all by your voice alone.
Apple's main goal with the Airpod is to make their consumers use it constantly and continuously even when they're not listening to music. The problem with this is that Siri isn't quite reliable just yet when accessing apps and may still force the users to physically interact with their device.
And if you're not really buying on the Airpod hype, don't worry. There' still a connector that'll come with your iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 plus you can attack to your phone which will allow you to use your standard headphone jack.
The Future of Wireless Earbuds
But it seems that the long-term goal for Apple here is to slowly make their users get used to wireless earbuds and position themselves when the technology of this device actually explodes. What are we talking about?
Ever heard of Doppler Labs? If you haven't they are this startup company that is developing some really cool and innovative technology their wireless earphones, Here. For instance, Doppler is working on a feature that will allow you to adjust the volume of the world around you.
It can also mute specific kinds of sounds like a baby crying, the noise of honking cars outside your office, or the snoring of your partner. The earbuds capture a certain sound wave, process it in real-time, and play it without any perceptible delay.
Awesome but there's more.
Doppler is placing an equalizer on Here that allows you to adjust the bass, mids, and trebles that you hear in the real world. Imagine standing at a concert and having these bad boys on. You can turn up the bass if you're too far away or adjust it down if you're having trouble hearing the performer.
Another feature that Here will possess is the sound effect function, which will allow you to add reverb, flange, or echo to the music playing around you.
If this is the path that Apple will eventually tread in the future, it's understandable that they're pushing for a more wireless experience. The Airpods will hit the market in late October with a price tag of $159 in the US, £159 in the UK and AU$229 in Australia.
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