When the Apple AirPods wireless earbuds were launched a few years ago, they initially faced some criticism for their design. Some joked on social media platforms that these were essentially like the EarPods wired earphones that Apple bundles with iPhones, but with the wires cut off. In subsequent quarters, the AirPods made the haters eat their words. It has consistently sold in more numbers than any other wireless earbuds, rivals such as Bose, Sony and Samsung have tried and failed to better the experience and the battery life offered by AirPods is also much more than any rivals could manage. "AirPods are incredibly popular and we're seeing them in more and more places—in the gym, in coffee shops, wherever people are enjoying music on their Apple devices. This product is a runaway hit, and we're working hard to meet the incredible demand," Tim Cook, Apple CEO had said back in May.
However, over the years, the AirPods have not received a design update. Except the wireless charging case, Apple has let the successful AirPods be as they are. But that could be changing. Over the past couple of weeks, there have been reports that the current generation of AirPods have gone out of stock across retailers in Europe and the US. This, in Apple’s dictionary, is the first indication of a newer variant waiting to be launched.
Perhaps you haven’t realized it yet, but chances are, you have already seen the new AirPods.
Kicking off the September 12 Apple Special Event at the Steve Jobs Theater, which saw the arrival of the new Apple Watch series 4, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and the iPhone XR, was the opening movie which saw young woman wearing AirPods run from the Apple Park ‘spaceship’ campus to the Steve Jobs Theater with a package that needed urgent delivery. She was wearing AirPods. Along the way, she asks, "Hey, Siri, what's the fastest way to Steve Jobs Theater?" She didn't tap the AirPod earbud before speaking her request—something you currently have to do to get Siri, the virtual assistant, primed for action. Back to the journey of the lady—while Siri did tell her a conventional path to follow, the paucity of time meant the lady jumped into the huge water body and ran across it. This could hint that the next AirPods could also be water resistant. Was this the first glimpse of the new AirPods, which could perhaps have the hands-free Siri capabilities?
There was no further mention of the AirPods at the event. Until now?
Apple does not tease products as a mistake. There was a plan. A plan to give us a sneak peek, to whoever would realize it. And now may be the perfect time to talk about it, at the event that will also see the possible unveil of updates for the iPad Pro, iMac, MacBook Air and Mac Mini products.
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