Tuesday, October 19th 2021

Introducing the next generation of AirPods: The world's most popular wireless headphones just got better

Apple today announced the third generation of AirPods featuring spatial audio, delivering advanced features and a magical experience in a new contoured design. By combining the power of the H1 chip with an Apple-designed acoustic system, the new AirPods use computational audio to deliver breakthrough sound with Adaptive EQ. Users can enjoy spatial audio featuring Dolby Atmos in Apple Music, movies, and tv shows, along with dynamic head tracking, across Apple devices. The new AirPods are resistant to sweat and water, and feature a force sensor for easy and intuitive control of music and phone calls. The extended battery life enables up to six hours of listening time and up to 30 hours of total listening time with the convenient charging case. AirPods (3rd generation) join the world's most popular family of headphones and are available to order starting today, and in stores beginning Tuesday, October 26.

"AirPods forever changed wireless headphones with their groundbreaking design, incredible sound, and magical experience," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "We are excited to introduce the next generation of AirPods, featuring unrivaled sound through Adaptive EQ and spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, along with seamless interaction between Apple devices - making the world's best-selling headphones even better."
All-New Design

The new design of AirPods is lightweight and contoured, sitting at just the right angle for comfort and to direct audio into the ear. For a more subtle appearance, the stem is shorter than the previous generation and features the same intuitive force sensor as AirPods Pro for media control. The new AirPods are resistant to both sweat and water, with an IPX4 rating for both the earbuds and the charging case.

Breakthrough Audio Features

AirPods (3rd generation) build on the great sound quality that AirPods are known for, starting with a custom driver and a high dynamic range amplifier that together produce powerful bass with crisp, clean high frequencies. The microphone is covered by an acoustic mesh to help reduce the sound of wind, so the speaker's voice comes across distinctly on calls. AirPods also feature AAC-ELD, a superior speech codec that offers full HD voice quality, providing clear, natural communication for FaceTime calls.

The new AirPods use computational audio to bring the breakthrough experiences that customers love on AirPods Pro and AirPods Max - like Adaptive EQ and spatial audio with dynamic head tracking - to even more people.

For an optimal listening experience with rich detail, the new AirPods feature Adaptive EQ that tunes sound in real time based on how AirPods fit in the user's ear. An inward-facing microphone monitors for sound, and then Adaptive EQ, powered by computational audio, tunes the low and mid frequencies to account for what may be lost due to variances in fit.

Spatial audio creates a three-dimensional theater-like experience, placing sound virtually anywhere in space, and with Dolby Atmos, AirPods have never sounded better. Users can also enjoy this multi-level experience with dynamic head tracking, so music, video, and even Group FaceTime calls feel more immersive than ever before. Using advanced spatial audio algorithms, and by applying directional audio filters to subtly adjust the frequencies that each ear receives, the new AirPods can place sound all around the user.

Magical Experience

With one-touch setup that automatically pairs AirPods with other Apple devices, users can effortlessly enjoy music throughout the day. Audio Sharing allows listeners to share the audio stream between two sets of AirPods, AirPods Pro, or AirPods Max, while using iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Apple TV.

A new skin-detect sensor accurately discerns if AirPods are in the ear - versus in a pocket or on a table - and pauses playback when removed. To help with sound clarity, beamforming microphones block out ambient noise and focus on the user's voice, while users can also enjoy a hands-free experience by simply saying "Hey Siri" for requests.

Longer Battery Life

AirPods (3rd generation) offer an extra hour of battery life over the previous generations, with up to six hours of listening time and up to four hours of talk time. Just five minutes of charging provides about an hour of battery life, and with four additional charges in the case, users can get up to 30 hours of total listening time. AirPods are now also part of the MagSafe ecosystem for convenient wireless charging.

AirPods with iOS and iPadOS

AirPods offer exceptional convenience and sound quality, and with iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, users can enjoy the following features:
  • With spatial audio and dynamic head tracking, voices in a Group FaceTime call sound like they're coming from the direction in which the person is positioned on the screen, making it seem as if everyone is in the same room.4
  • Announce Notifications allows Siri to read important time-sensitive notifications, including alerts from Messages, Reminders, Calendar, and calls, as well as any third-party apps that adopt the API.
  • AirPods are now part of the Find My network of hundreds of millions of iPhone, iPad, and Mac computers around the world, offering proximity view in the Find My app and Lost Mode, as well as separation alerts and sounds.
Apple and the Environment

AirPods are designed with numerous materials and features to reduce their environmental impact, including the 100 percent recycled rare earth elements used in all magnets. The case also uses 100 percent recycled tin in the solder of the main logic board, and 100 percent recycled aluminum in the hinge. AirPods are also free of potentially harmful substances such as mercury, BFRs, PVC, and beryllium. For energy efficiency, AirPods meet US Department of Energy requirements for battery charger systems. Apple's Zero Waste program helps suppliers eliminate waste sent to landfills, and all final assembly supplier sites are transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy for Apple production. In the packaging, 100 percent of the virgin wood fiber comes from responsibly managed forests.

Today, Apple is carbon neutral for global corporate operations, and by 2030, plans to have net-zero climate impact across the entire business, which includes manufacturing supply chains and all product life cycles. This means that every Apple device sold, from component manufacturing, assembly, transport, customer use, charging, all the way through recycling and material recovery, will be 100 percent carbon neutral.

Pricing and Availability
  • AirPods (3rd generation) will be available for $179 (US) and are available to order from apple.com/store and in the Apple Store app in the US and more than 26 other countries and regions starting today, with availability in stores beginning Tuesday, October 26.
  • AirPods (2nd generation) will be available at the new price of $129 (US).
  • AirPods Pro now come with MagSafe Charging Case for the same price of $249 (US).
  • With the Apple Music Voice Plan, users can enjoy millions of songs, playlists, and stations in the Apple Music catalog through Siri. The Apple Music Voice Plan will be available later this fall in select countries and regions for $4.99 (US) per month.
  • New subscribers can get Apple Music free for six months with the purchase of any AirPods, AirPods Pro, or AirPods Max.5
  • AirPods require Apple devices running iOS 15.1, iPadOS 15.1, watchOS 8.1, tvOS 15.1, or macOS Monterey, all available as free software updates next week.
  • Customers can add personal engraving with emoji, text, and numbers to cases for AirPods Pro, AirPods (3rd generation), and AirPods (2nd generation) for free on apple.com/store and in the Apple Store app.
Source: Apple
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9 Comments on Introducing the next generation of AirPods: The world's most popular wireless headphones just got better

#1
zlobby
Yes! Pinnacle of engineering! /s

Trully wireless but you need wires to not lose them. :D Kensington lock in this version?
Posted on Reply
#3
GreiverBlade
"the world most popular" ... why do i chuckle when i read that ...

pffffff i rally hate that shape and all the copycats that thought it was a good design to copy ... (minus the pricing, thankfully ) thanks all the other brands that do more sensible, imho, shape and prices ...
Posted on Reply
#4
ZoneDymo
GreiverBlade"the world most popular" ... why do i chuckle when i read that ...

pffffff i rally hate that shape and all the copycats that thought it was a good design to copy ... (minus the pricing, thankfully ) thanks all the other brands that do more sensible, imho, shape and prices ...
I actually think its smart, they probably are the worlds most popular, however that does not mean they are the best.
Posted on Reply
#5
GreiverBlade
ZoneDymoI actually think its smart, they probably are the worlds most popular, however that does not mean they are the best.
well .... being pseudo tied to a closed ecosystem without much leeway to work on other device correctly (aka loosing function that are similar to both devices, because of said closed ecosystem) , meanwhile other tws can work just fine on android and apple phone ...my mother tested my Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro (well ... 20$ pricier on launch than the cheapest AirPods 2 atm but well ... balanced armature, 11mm DD, 32hrs total playtime and the Soundcore app with the HearID custom EQ make them quite worth it ... and 20$ less than the AirPods 3 although they can be found as low as 99$ recently, got mine free with my phone as a bundle) and we convened that if i switched to the Liberty 3 Pro later she would get the Liberty 2 Pro :laugh: (she's also not a fan of the comma shape and the price tag :ohwell: )

in short, it is because most Apple iPhone user, take AirPods it make them the most popular, in a very selective closed circle? ... do that qualify? it's akin to say that iPhones are the most popular among Apple users :laugh:


but yeah ... i get what you meant ... but i am still chuckling...:toast:
Posted on Reply
#6
Bansaku
GreiverBladewell .... being tied to an ecosystem
You lost the conversation with the first sentence and it's obvious you have little to no experience with Apple products. No one is tied to an ecosystem, never have been, and Apple peripherals work just fine with Android (with the latter at fault if they don't jive well).
Posted on Reply
#8
GreiverBlade
BansakuYou lost the conversation with the first sentence and it's obvious you have little to no experience with Apple products. No one is tied to an ecosystem, never have been, and Apple peripherals work just fine with Android (with the latter at fault if they don't jive well).
and you lost the thread without reading the rest about loosing functionalities ... Airpods worked like bog basic (overpriced) TWS on androids phone meanwhile the Liberty 2 Pro (which have Android and iOS app) work like a charm with both my mother iPhone and my phone (also corrected the ecosystem, pointing the "best" feature from Apple ... after the price, although that point is useful for some ofc)
ofc some would mention that "the phone that do not work with them correctly is at fault for not exploiting all the potential" but actually ... isn't it Apple that close these function... instead of making them compatible with alternatives, Apple is technically known for that ... and that's what i mean by "closed"

and it's also because of my experience with Apple that i am that much mmhhh... how should i say... "bitter"? maybe?
timta2Please tell us, where are your buying your environmentally friendly and recyclable electronics from?...
well technically, while not always environmentally friendly, most electronics are recyclable when the owner dispose of them correctly ... but i think it's rather on repair/serviceability that Apple is a bad student ... imho (since they mention using recycled rare earth, aluminum and tin, if true ofc) , can't talk about 3rold opinion tho
Posted on Reply
#9
Guwapo77
ZoneDymoI actually think its smart, they probably are the worlds most popular, however that does not mean they are the best.
This is true and they aren't trying to be. These are "affordable" and work masterfully with all of Apple's products.

__________________________

I'm glad to see the Airpods being refreshed, now I have to patiently wait for the Airpod Pros to come out. I need mine replaced because of some weird malfunction/distortion when using the noise cancelling or transparency mode.
Posted on Reply
Oct 31st, 2024 19:27 EDT change timezone

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