[ad_1]
By Mike Wuerthele
Monday, June 25, 2018, 05:12 PT (08:12 ET)
Apple seems to be turning for a pair of high-end portable audio devices for an outing in the 2019 calendar year, with the development of both on track.
The new AirPods will be more upscale than the current model, says Bloomberg in a new report on Monday. "Internal discussions" are ongoing on the product, as the company is considering biometric sensors for the device as a heart rate monitor.
Apple also seems to expand the manufacturing options of AirPods. Foxconn would be on the future manufacture of the device, perhaps in response to low quantities at the release attached to the Luxshare manufacturer's inability to deliver on time and low volumes at launch.
The new AirPods are likely to cost more than the existing $ 159 overall. A previous rumor suggested that new AirPods with smaller components could be launched later in 2018 – but this rumor seems to be for a slightly updated device, and not for Monday's set of rumors.
AirPods was delivered late 2016, but Apple struggled to keep up with demand at launch. The $ 159 AirPods include Apple's custom W1 wireless chip, which allows easy pairing on a range of signed devices in the same iCloud account. The accessory should soon be upgraded by a wireless charging box that will be compatible with the Apple AirPower charging mat.
New Apple headphones coming soon?
It is said that over-ear headphones avoid the Beats brand image with Apple's own brand, and will compete with "expensive Bose and Sennheiser models" according to the report. Author Mark Gurman says that Apple initially intended to introduce headphones by the end of 2018, but unspecified "development challenges" have forced a surge of devices in 2019.
The report also claims that Apple is looking to expand the HomePod's manufacturing base, also using Foxconn for this.
Bloomberg stresses that the transactions have not been finalized and that production has not started on both devices yet.
[ad_2]
Source link
