Waiting for headphones from Apple: AirPods 2019 and the forecast of full-sized firstborn

    We are rapidly approaching 2019 - this year promises to be fruitful for new audio devices, in particular, for headphones. Beginning in 2016, the apple giant has become one of the leaders in the wireless headset market.



    AirPods did not become something fundamentally new, but due to the a priori cult of any Apple product, articles and discussions on the topic of wireless headphones rarely cost without mentioning them. They are praised and heytyat, they are based on comparisons, in other words, they write and speak about AirPods from the moment of their appearance.

    In the coming year, we are probably awaited by two new models of apple headphones at once, which will be strikingly different both from each other and from their predecessors. Under the cut, I tried to summarize all the available information about updates.

    Unlocked release


    Back in February of this year, on the pages of www.macrumors.com and appleinsider.com , Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (Ming-Chi Kuo) reported that Apple is preparing to release not only the new version of AirPods, but also headphones with a “fundamentally new design. He suggested that the company plans to release full-size headphones and, thanks to their acoustic design and emitter area, will be able to provide higher sound quality.

    The conclusion was made on the basis of the fact that Apple is developing a device, the sound quality in which will repeatedly surpass the existing model. It is known that the intra channel form factor chosen for the model of the 16th year practically excludes any sound improvements, from which it can be concluded that a full-size version is being prepared.

    It is also likely that the Ming-Chi Kuo forecast is based on a memorandum sent to Apple investors at the end of January, in which, among other things (in particular, the development of AirPods as a concept), a “new design” is promised, which hints at something like on the classic model of 2016. In the memorandum, the estimated new product release date was the fourth quarter of the current year.

    In March, the forecast was confirmed by the authors of Bloomberg, who, citing "the words of people familiar with product development," said that Apple, a technology giant Cupertino in California, is working on full-sized noise canceling headphones. These were then allegedly recorded in the internal competitors of the Beats.

    Despite these statements, the miracle did not happen this year, and judging by the absence of Apple’s statements about the presentations, it will not happen. Perhaps something broke due to the ambitiousness of the tasks, the emergence of new technologies or product requirements, as has already happened at Apple. Therefore, it is likely that new products will have to wait in 2019. In any case, officially no one promised anything to anyone.

    Expectations, insiders and assumptions


    Some clarity is provided by the forecast from the authors of Bloomberg, who, referring to sources at Apple in June, once again wrote about the likely entry into the market of the full-size version, but already in 2019.



    At that time, the publication’s interlocutors, “those familiar with the company's plans,” argued that Apple was considering the products from Bose and Sennheiser as their main competitors, which could also indirectly indicate a full-size version. Adam Smith of www.whathifi.com suggested that the new headphones will almost certainly get a W1 chip for quick connection with Apple devices.

    Bloomberg, in turn, also reported a few details about the new AirPods 2019. In particular, it became clear that noise reduction, enhanced splash protection from rain and sweat, as well as higher cost, would definitely be the new main chips.

    In addition, in accordance with the data of the publication, it is possible that biometrics will be added to the new AirPods (heart rate monitoring was mentioned). This probability is due to the fact that the company seeks to develop the medical functionality of gadgets not only within the framework of the AppleWatch concept. Insiders say that AirPods can equip with a new chip and Siri activation without using hands.

    Officially, Apple refused to comment on the above information in any way.

    Something about fresh patent


    As is known from the above sources, Apple allegedly develops full-size headphones, the main advantage of which should be “high sound quality”. But just full-size headphones without a wire with a decent sound, support for Siri and active noise? It does not pull in a technological breakthrough, or even something particularly impressive in the Apple ecosystem. Obviously, something is missing, some inaccessible to other counterparts chips ...

    The publication www.theverge.com suggested that such a chip would be an automatic determination of the right and left ear and automatic adjustment of the channels. The assumption is made on the basis of the patent.Apple lawyers recently registered. The name of the patent is "System and method for automatic detection of the left ear for headphones." At the same time, www.theverge.com notes that at the moment there is no information that this technology is actually working and, moreover, the fact that the development of full-size headphones finds only indirect confirmation, but has no direct evidence.

    As a conclusion


    With the new AirPods, everything is clear: shumodav, a new class of splash protection and control of Siri without any extra gestures with your hands - these are quite logical innovations. With full-size, on the contrary, not everything is clear. But a lot of facts suggest that Apple is really looking for a replacement for Beats, which has damaged its reputation among demanding music lovers. They may even be able to compete “right from the first product” on equal terms with hits from Sennheiser, BOSE or some AKG, especially if they can take their experience into account.

    At the same time, I believe that Apple is really developing something full-sized and decently sounding. Analysts 'opinions and insiders' information is not everything, in my opinion, the Apple ecosystem has long been in need of such a product. Moreover, a full-size form factor is most beneficial for both sound and battery capacity (as badly needed by wireless headphones). Perhaps this is even the main argument in favor of the reality of such a development.

    I am neither a big fan, nor a hater of apple products, while I believe that the market is undoubtedly waiting for new devices. I am also convinced that competition is almost always beneficial to the consumer, as companies improve the quality of products in the struggle for the market. I will be sincerely glad to your participation in the survey and comments on the topic of apple headphones. Write down what they are good / bad for, what they lack and what you think you should expect from new products.

    Jeans
    At the moment in our catalog there are no headphones from Apple, but there are lots of others . At the same time, we do not exclude that after the release of new models, they will take their place on the shelves of our stores.

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    Should we expect new Apple full-size headphones in 2019?


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