It’s hard to beat the convenience of a good pair of wireless earbuds. Apple’s AirPods have been leaders in this category since they were released and really launched the product category into the mainstream. They succeeded by streamlining the process of connecting a pair of buds and then making it incredibly easy to swap them between devices. All of the above can be a pain using traditional Bluetooth connections, but Apple did a masterful job of removing all of that friction and frustration.
Photo Source: Gizmo China
As expected before an Apple event, the leaks are coming faster now and we’re starting to get a good idea what’s coming this month. According to Jon Prosser a few days ago, that would be the new iPad Pros, AirTags, Apple TV, and you guessed it, updated AirPods. Today’s leak from close to the supply chain paints a familiar picture.
After reading some of the early reports of AirPods Max users noticing condensation inside the earcups under the memory foam ear cushions, I have been keeping an eye on mine. After two recent two hour or longer sessions using them, I can confirm that I have found small amounts of condensation inside of mine, as well. This definitely isn’t a fictitious issue.
This problem is interesting to me because I work in Commercial and Industrial HVAC, Energy Management and Monitoring and Systems Integration. The engine that’s driving this problem is right in my wheelhouse, which is a big reason why I decided to write about it.
I have to hand it to Apple sometimes. People, myself included, get down on them for being greedy, which is occasionally deserved. Some even go as far as accusing them of handicapping devices and taking out batteries just to generate new sales. However, the new upgrades for the AirPods Pro that were revealed yesterday show a different side of the company.
Two weeks ago it was looking very much like Apple’s new AirPods Studio over the ear noise cancelling headphones would be arriving soon. I wrote about this at the time and was feeling pretty good about my recent prediction that they would land right before WWDC. I’m not feeling so confident about that call today, as there has been radio silence on this highly anticipated item ever sense.
With WWDC only a week away, there are a couple of new Apple deals that have come to light. The first is their new no-interest Apple Card payment plans for Macs, iPads and their accessories, HomePods, Apple TV, AirPods Pro, AirPods and other devices. These new plans, which are similar to one unveiled for the iPhone last year, were rumored last week. While the Apple Watch is strangely absent, these plans should prove to be very popular and get more Apple fans interested in the Apple Card.
I don’t have sources and I’m not interested in slinging leaks or becoming the next Jon Prosser. However, I do enjoy making predictions just based on reading the Apple leaves and I love it even more when I get a few right. I won’t claim that happens too often, but I get a few.
So far, my 2020 predictions are looking pretty good. I called full mouse support for iPadOS and a keyboard accessory that would include a trackpad pretty much dead-on in early January. Last week, based on the fact that they were rumored to be in production, I said that Apple’s new AirPods Studio headphones would arrive just before or during the WWDC Keynote. Looks pretty likely that prediction will turn out to be true, as well.
I’ll be honest. I was not expecting Apple’s long-rumored over the ear headphones to be packed with as many features as are now being predicted. I assumed we would basically be getting an over the ear version of the Beats Solo Pro on ear headphones that came out last year. They featured the same Apple H1 chip with Noise Cancellation and Transparency Mode features that came with the AirPods Pro. They sound even better, at least in my opinion.
9to5Mac has been a trusted source for Apple news for a long time. However, I didn’t really consider them to be quite on the level with Mark Gurman and Ming-Chi Kuo when it came to new device and iOS rumors. Gui Rambo has made quite an impact over the last couple of years revealing lots of information hidden inside of Apple’s various OS betas, but those details don’t start coming until after WWDC, when those of us with Apple Dev Accounts get our hands on the goodies.
We already have reports that Apple is possible about to release a new set of noise cancelling over the ear headphones and is working on a “lite’ version of the AirPods Pro for release later in the year. However, that isn’t all Apple is working on to extend their extremely popular and fast-growing wearables lineup. They are also continuing to work on the Apple Watch and AirPods.
Photo Source: Jon Prosser via Twitter
I think we all know an Apple event is coming within the next six weeks at this point. We also have a pretty good idea that one or more iPad Pros is coming at that event, along with a new iPhone. However, there are rumors of other new Apple goodies that may or may not arrive at the same time. Today brings more of these reports from an unlikely source.