Apple has been regularly releasing new software updates and firmware versions for its portfolio of products. The company recently concluded its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), showcasing several new and upcoming features.

Now, the company has started rolling out a new beta firmware version for several AirPods models, including the Apple AirPods 2, AirPods 3, AirPods Pro, and the AirPods Max.

The new beta version for the AirPods lineup bring released by Apple carries version numbers from 5A5282d to 5A5304a. As of now, the new firmware is limited to developers and can be downloaded from the Apple developer website.

Also, to install this new beta firmware for the wearable audio products, the user needs to be running the Apple iPhone with the latest iOS 16 beta operating system or a Mac device with the macOS Ventura beta along with Xcode 14 beta for the supported AirPods.

Apple claims that this new beta firmware version includes improvements to the Automatic Switching as well as some bug fixes and stability improvements. Once the testing is completed, the software will be released to all the AirPods, which could be in fall this year.

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Tech giant Apple has been the subject of many amazing feats performed by its products. The feats reflect the ruggedness and hidden capabilities of the various Apple products. The list is becoming quite extensive including the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and even the AirPods.

There is a TikTok video making the rounds about a Boston-based woman who recounted her experience with Apple’s AirPods. The woman with username @iamcarliiib reportedly swallowed one of her AirPods accidentally in place of her drug.

The woman said she had wanted to take the painkiller Ibruprofen, which was on her hand while the left of her AirPods was on the other hand. Obviously, in the throes of pain, she inexplicably switched the drug with the AirPod and realized the mistake immediately she had swallowed the device. The woman said she made several efforts to bring force it out but that did not happen until she eventually excreted the device. An X-ray confirmed that the device was no longer lodged inside her stomach.

The woman also noted that the AirPod was able to record sound from her stomach, as it was still connected to her iPhone before it was ingested. This was indicated in a voice note that she sent to a friend that included gurgling sounds recorded in her stomach. It is unclear whether there were any side effects from the woman accidentally ingesting the AirPod. It would be interesting to get the perspective of Apple on this incident.

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(source)

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The Apple AirPods 3 were announced last month and recently began shipping out to those that ordered them. These come with an upgraded design, plenty of which has been inspired by the AirPods Pro, minus the rubber tips of course. But while the AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro may share plenty from the outside, a teardown video has revealed that the insides are a different story.

52audio is a YouTube channel specializing in headphones and they took apart the third-gen AirPods to reveal its innards. The disassembly isn’t exactly an easy job since most of the parts of the Pods are glued together. The same holds true the other way around as well, making successful reassembly quite a feat, and repairs a nearly impossible task.

Each earpiece of the AirPods 3 has a new skin detection sensor that accurately discerns if the AirPods are in the ear and pauses playback when removed. It is a first for the AirPods family. An FPC cable connects all of the components, with a tiny battery between the speaker and the microphone. The AirPods 3’s internal battery has a capacity of 0.133Wh.

As for the AirPods 3 charging case, it now has a new set of magnets that are used to attach it to the MagSafe charger, something no other AirPods have. The case packs a 345mAh battery along with a Lightning port and a logic board. It also sports a graphite thermal pad to ease heating when charging.

Interestingly, the AirPods 3 charging case only has one large battery. The AirPods Pro case on the other hand is powered by two.

The AirPods 3 teardown video has been given below:

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A new report estimates that Apple AirPods shipments will reach 85 million units in 2022, which is a 3.7% year-on-year increase. The recently released AirPods 3 will be a major contributor to the total sales figure of course, but they’re joined by the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max. We might even see the sequels to the latter two next year.

The report by TrendForce adds that Apple’s latest AirPods 3 feature an improved optical in-ear detection mechanism. This works through the integration of PPG (photoplethysmography) technology paired with four SWIR (short-wave infrared) LED chips that have two different wavelengths. The skin-detect sensors may potentially detect the water content in the wearer’s skin, granting the AirPods 3 the ability to differentiate between human skin and other surfaces.

The rise in the demand for AirPods will thus be benefitting component suppliers for the same. Some of these include Epistar and DOWA that supply SWIR LED chips, DOWA and II-VI/Finisar that supply InGaAs photodiode, and module assembler USI.

SWIR wavelengths range from 1,050-2,500 nm which is sufficient for optical properties of compounds such as water, sugar, and alcohol. More wearables manufacturers are expected to integrate the tech into their products in the near future, as its prices are set to drop as it matures.

Consequently, more wearables will be coming with PPG-based biosensing functions that will be sensing more advanced stuff like body hydration, blood glucose, blood lipid, and blood alcohol levels in the future. Most current wearables have a limited scope of measuring only heart rate and blood oxygen levels.

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Apple has confirmed its new “Unleashed” event for 18th October and it appears that the technology giant is set to launch its new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro devices powered by the unannounced M1X chipset.

Now, a new report coming from @PandaIsBald on Weibo claims that the Cupertino-based company will also be launching its third-generation Apple AirPods at the same event. The true wireless earbuds were previously reported to get launched along with the iPhone 13 series and Apple Watch Series 7 but that didn’t happen.

Last month, we reported that the Apple AirPods 3 have already entered production and the suppliers have also started shipping the product to Apple. However, the initial shipments were low which is likely the reason for not releasing them last month.

We expect the second-generation of AirPods Pro to also get launched along with the third-generation of AirPods. But so far, there has been no confirmation regarding this.

An image of the upcoming AirPods 3 has already leaked online, which reveals the earphones’ design which seems to be inspired by the Pro variant. The earbuds will come with a short stem and a sensor, as well as a microphone on the front.

Internally, it is also expected to come powered by a new chipset and is said to support Apple Music Lossless Audio. Additionally, the earbuds are expected to come with improved battery life performance compared to the AirPods 2.

There’s also a possibility that the next-generation AirPods may come with support for Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). In that case, Apple needs to have something major to offer with the next-generation AirPods Pro to justify the “Pro” tag and higher pricing.

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At its recent California Streaming event, technology giant Apple announced the latest iPhone 13 series, Apple Watch Series 7, and the updated iPad models. Now, the company is expected to launch a few more products in the coming weeks or months.

The latest report coming from Bloomberg indicates that Apple is still on track to launch the new MacBook models as well as the AirPods 3 by the end of this year. However, those waiting for the new iPad Pro as well as the updated AirPods Pro will have to wait until 2022.

Recently, it was reported that the upcoming Apple AirPods 3 have already entered mass production, hinting at the imminent launch. An image of the upcoming AirPods 3 has already leaked online, revealing the earphones’ design.

The earbuds will come with a short stem and a sensor, as well as a microphone on the front. The image showcases the earbuds in the standard White color shade. It is also expected to come powered by a new chipset and is said to support Lossless Audio.

While Apple has not yet confirmed this, the technology giant is speculated to host a new launch event next month for launching newly updated products, including new Mac devices powered by the M1X chipset. The new MacBook Pro models are expected to come in 14-inch and 16-inch models, offering mini-LED display for the first time in its laptops.

A few other products, including the AirPods Pro 2 and the new iPad Pro models are expected to go official sometime next year. While the launch timeline is not known, we expect the company to hold an event early next year.

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It’s been some time since reports about the launch of AirPods 3 true wireless earphones started surfacing online. After several Apple events announcing new products, the AirPods 3 still remains unannounced.

In the latest development, it is claimed that the Apple AirPods 3 have already entered production and the suppliers have also started shipping the product to Apple. It adds that the initial shipments were low.

The low initial shipments of the third-generation of Apple AirPods TWS earbuds explain why the product wasn’t made official at the iPhone 13 series launch event. Given that Apple has now enough shipments, the company is now expected to officially launch the AirPods 3 earphones by the end of this year.

In that case, we expect the next-generation AirPods to get announced at the launch event next month. While Apple has not yet confirmed this, but the technology giant is speculated to host a new launch event next month which will be focusing on new Mac devices powered by the M1X chipset. We expect the second-generation of AirPods Pro to also get launched along with the third-generation of AirPods.

An image of the upcoming AirPods 3 has already leaked online, revealing the earphones’ design. The earbuds will come with a short stem and a sensor, as well as a microphone on the front. The image showcases the earbuds in the standard White color shade.

It is also expected to come powered by a new chipset and is said to support Apple Music Lossless Audio. Additionally, the earbuds are expected to come with good battery life performance compared to the AirPods 2.

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As we move to H2 of this year, Apple rumors have started getting some pace. Just like every year, Apple is expected to hold a launch event for its smartphones sometime in September. Apart from smartphones, the Californian tech giant is also expected to launch the third generation of the AirPods dubbed the Apple AirPods 3. Last time we heard that suppliers have already started shipping components of the AirPods 3 moving us closer to its release.

The report from Digitimes states that the new Airpods 3 model will meet us at the same time as the iPhone 13 launch later this year. It further states that the Airpods 3 will not see major price hike and its demand is expected to be high given that the iPhone 13 series won’t come with a set of headphones inside the box.

An image reveals also the Apple AirPods 3 in all its glory. Surprisingly, the earbuds have a universal design. Instead of the rubber tips seen in the AirPods Pro, the AirPods 3 will flaunt an original AirPod-like design. It will come with a short stem and a sensor, microphone on the front. The image showcases the earbuds in the standard White color shade.

The AirPods 3 is expected to come powered by a new chipset and is said to support Apple Music Lossless Audio. Additionally, the earbuds are expected to come with good battery life as compared to the AirPods 2.

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(via)

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Apple is expected to announce new products on March 23. Although the company hasn’t shed any light on this yet, reports said that it would launch AirPods 3 along with others like AirTags, iPad Pro, and the long-rumored Apple TV. However, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said that the next-gen AirPods won’t enter mass production until Q3 2021.

In an investor’s note(via 9to5mac), Kuo says that Apple is currently in a state of dilemma whether to stick to the AirPods 3 production or still make AirPods 2 later in the year. Either way, according to his report, the AirPods 3 will go into mass production only by Q3(i.e around July/August).

This means it won’t be ready to ship till the end of the year, to say the least. Whether or not, Apple plans to bring it during the September event, it looks like the product won’t go official this month. This contradicts his own and several other early reports that indicated a launch around Q2.

Coming to the AirPods 3, lot of designs showing earbuds with shorter stems have been leaking on the internet. Here, there is a discrepancy on whether it would get the replaceable ear tips or not. however, we can expect it to feature improved ANC(Active Noise cancellation).

Further, Kuo shares some predictions about the AirPods shipments in 2021. He says that there will be a 25% YoY decline in shipments from Q1 to Q3 and fall to 55 million units. After the launch of the AirPods 3, if the demand is high, the shipments might rise to 78 million units for the whole of 2021.

Some of the prime reasons for this drop is said to be the competition from rivals. Many of the TWS in the market have good overall features and Apple’s USPs like quick pairing and fast switching doesn’t seem to help.

To add fuel to the fire, AirPods Max has had very little impact on the overall AirPods shipments(1 million units). Kuo finally says that if Apple needs to get on the heels of the competition, it should focus more on providing more health-related features on its AirPods.

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Tech giant Apple has been grappling with several instances of unauthorized release of its trade secrets and in-development products information via many leaks to tipsters and media outlets. This week, it was revealed that Apple had filed a lawsuit against its former employee, Simon Lancaster, who was accused of leaking Apple’s trade secrets to a media correspondent for personal benefits. The upcoming Apple AirPods 3 has been the subject of much speculation and leaks. A new set of photos released by 52Audio has now revealed that the next-generation Apple AirPods will not be having interchangeable ear tips and instead will have a universal fit.

The pics also show that the AirPods 3 bear a close resemblance to the AirPods Pro, with some features tweaked for better efficiency and overall performance. It comes with a shorter charging case and is a bit more compact than its predecessors.

In what looks like a mixture of both the AirPods Pro and the base model AirPods, the AirPods 3 combines the design and features of both devices to give a marginally better listening experience. However, close scrutiny of the available speculative information shows that the AirPods 3 may just be a minor improvement from its predecessors but they still lack some critical technical capabilities like active noise cancellation, interchangeable tips, and a few other stuff that could have placed it on a higher pedestal of quality.

It bears repeating that the information available on the AirPods 3 could be speculative and contain a mixed bag of facts and alternative facts, including the release date put at March 23. Unfolding events will put everything relating to the upcoming AirPods 3 in better perspective, as Apple remains mum on the purported details released on the device.

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(via)

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Apple AirPods lineup has become very successful and is generating billions of dollars in revenue for the company. To keep the momentum going, the Cupertino-based giant keeps introducing a new models.

Now, Apple is gearing up to launch the third-generation of the AirPods, aka AirPods 3. If the reports are to be believed, then the company is expected to officially launched them at an event later this month, most likely on 23rd March.

Ahead of the launch, we have got our hands on a new set of AirPods 3 renders from suppliers. The design showcased in the renders is likely the final version which will be released in the market for everyone to purchase.

The design is pretty much in line with the previous render leaks, resembling the design of the AirPods Pro. It appears that the AirPods 3 will have a shorter stem and come with replaceable ear tips, similar to what we have seen with the company’s AirPods Pro.

There is also a possibility that the next-generation AirPods may come with support for Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). In that case, Apple to have something major to offer with the next-generation AirPods Pro to justify the “Pro” tag and higher pricing.

If the recent reports are to be believed, then along with the AirPods 3, the company is also expected to launch the second-generation AirPods Pro. Along with these true wireless earphones, Apple will also be launching new iPad models.

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Apple has a very successful AirPods lineup of true wireless earphones, which have now become one of the best-selling products from the company. To keep the momentum going, the company is gearing up to launch the third-generation model of the AirPods.

Now, alleged photos of the AirPods 3 have surfaced online which showcases that we will be getting a new design for the earphones. Leaked images show that the upcoming AirPods will feature a flat edge with a slight change in the placement of the device’s sensors.

In line with the previous rumors, the Apple AirPods 3 will have a shorter stem and will come with support for replaceable ear tips, similar to what we have seen with the company’s AirPods Pro.

The report from 52Audio also claims that the next-generation AirPods may come with support for Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). In that case, we expect Apple to have something major to offer with the next-generation AirPods Pro to justify the “Pro” tag as well as higher pricing.

Coming to the charging case, it seems very similar to the AirPods Pro case with a rectangular body instead of square. There’s a charging light on the front of the case, suggesting that it will support wireless charging.

Apple has been rumored to gearing up to launch a newly refreshed audio product lineup in the market. Recently, it was reported that the third-generation AirPods as well as the second-generation AirPods could get launched in early 2021.

While the launch dates are not yet announced by the company, it is being reported that Apple may launch these new AirPods models in the coming weeks.

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Apple has created a successful product lineup in the form of AirPods — the company’s own true wireless earphones. Currently, in the second-generation, the third-generation variant of the same, dubbed Apple AirPods 3 have been in the news for some months.

Now, a new report coming from @LeaksApplePro Twitter handle claims that the AirPods 3 could get official in March 2021. This is in line with the previous reports which indicated that the next-gen AirPods will go official in early 2021.

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Previous reports have also indicated that the Apple AirPods 3 will come with a new design, which is similar to what the company is offering with the AirPods Pro. As for the components, Taiwan Career Technology is expected to be the main supplier.

Although it is expected to have an AirPods Pro design, it’s unlikely to get support for Active Noise Cancellation — the main feature that separates the Pro variant from the standard models. To know for sure, we will have to wait for the official launch.

While the next-generation AirPods will get launched after a few months, Apple is reportedly all set to launch the AirPods Studio within a few days. For those who are unaware, AirPods Studio is an over-ear headphone that is rumored to launch this week.

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Apple’s AirPods lineup of true wireless earphones have become one of the best-selling products from the company and now the company is gearing up to launch the third-generation model of the same.

The upcoming TWS earphones from Apple, which is likely to be called AirPods 3, have been leaked online. A photo of the same has been leaked, which showcases the new design for the new headsets.

As per the leak, the rumored AirPods 3 will feature a design that is similar to the AirPods Pro, completely reshaping the earbuds. However, do note that the report indicates that the parts of the upcoming earphones that have been leaked are similar in terms of design to AirPods Pro but not identical.

Additionally, unlike the regular design with a narrow exterior, the leaked design of the earphones show a larger circular driver output onto which users can attach silicone ear tips for a better fit, similar to the AirPods Pro.

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Apple has been rumored to gearing up to launch a newly refreshed audio product lineup in the market. Recently, it was reported that the third-generation AirPods as well as the second-generation AirPods could get launched in early 2021.

While the exact details of the AirPods 3 specs, features, and launch are not yet available, Apple has scheduled a “One More Thing” launch event on 10th November, where the company is expected to announce its Apple Silicon-powered Mac devices.

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At an event on 10th September, Apple launched iPhone 11 series, a new iPad (2019) and announced a couple of services. While many were expecting the Cupertino-giant to announce a refresh for the AirPods 2, that didn’t happen.

Given that the Apple AirPods 2 were launched in March this year, it makes sense for the company to not launch its successor this early. But, it seems that the company has started working on the AirPods 3 as a prototype of the same has surfaced online.

The leaked prototype of the Apple AirPods 3 shows an even smaller charging case for the earphones. However, take this with a pinch of salt as we haven’t independently confirmed that what we see in the picture is actually the prototype of the upcoming AirPods.

There are reports out there which suggests that Apple could launch two variants of the next-generation AirPods. Given that the new AirPods were not announced during the iPhone 11 launch event, they could go official next year. Do note that the company has not confirmed or said anything related to AirPods 3.

Current generation AirPods, i.e. Apple AirPods 2, comes with an updated H1 chip, replacing the Q1 chip to offer improved connectivity. It now connects more quickly to your devices and switching between devices while listening to music is now two times faster.

There’s also hands-free “Hey Siri” functionality, allowing you to control volume and swap songs through voice commands. Thus, you no longer need to tap on the AirPods with a finger to activate Siri.

Apple is also offering an optional Wireless Charging Case that enables Qi-based wireless charging. The Apple AirPods 2 without the charging case is priced at $159, while it costs $199 with the Charging Case.

(Via)

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