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.
DigiTimes may not bat 1.000 when it comes to Apple rumors, but they do know a fair amount the supply chain and devices that are in testing and development. What they don’t usually have is definitive information or context to go with these leaks and bits of information, but there is usually some amount of truth in their reports. The hard part is figuring out where that truth is.
In one such report this week, DigiTimes predicts that Apple is getting ready to produce a new “lite” version of the extremely popular AirPods Pro in Taiwan.
I’ll admit that I am extremely late to the wireless charging bandwagon. For various reasons, it just hasn’t seemed essential or at least worth the cost to invest in one. However, when I was offered the opportunity to take a look at the GoPower Watch Stand with Wireless Charging Base for review, I was intrigued to learn about what I’ve been missing.
Photo Source: Apple
Ok, I do understand that Apple is somewhat guilty for planting this bug in the public consciousness, thanks to their Holiday AirPods commercial back in 2017. Still, just because Apple shows people swapping buds to make a connection doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.
I’ve kept my AirPods and now my AirPods Pro with me pretty much all the time from the moment I got them until now. (Well, except for that time that I lost my 1st gen buds, but that’s besides the point. And if you’ve owned AirPods, you’ve probably had a similar experience, or at least a scare, right?) That’s really the beauty of such a portable set of wireless earbuds.
One of the downsides of this extreme portability of the AirPods and AirPods Pro is that the case is inevitably going to get beaten up and show some wear. For example, I give you one of my first articles on the AirPods back in May of 2017:
As I feared, the AirPods case is a bit of a scuff magnet
Yep.
So you just got the gift of Apple for the Holidays, or maybe you got the universal gift of cold, hard cash and you’re about to use it on some new Apple gear. Either way, one thing you should consider early on is whether you should to invest in AppleCare+.
According to a new report from Bloomberg, Apple’s new AirPods Pro have already exceeded projected demand so far since their launch a month ago. So much so, in fact, that production lines have been strained and stock has been low since launch. Debby Wu of Bloomberg goes as far as saying that demand has been “much higher” than originally estimated.
As I said in one of my previous articles on the new AirPods Pro, I don’t have a lot of past experience with active noise cancelling or reducing headphones. Because of this, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first got them. Just like many others, I have been very impressed with how much sound they block for their small size and how much more immersive the listening experience is because of that.
Week one with the new AirPods Pro has been really good, overall. They basically take all of the strengths of the original AirPods and add to them in meaningful ways. Because of this, Apple’s newest earbuds have received almost universal praise, with only repairability and difficulty in recycling them being the only major complaints. My own experience is pretty close, so far.