Apple AirPods are the Cupertino giant’s ground-breaking, world-beating wireless in-ear headphones. AirPods have gone longer between updates than Apple products usually do, so we’re well overdue for an upgraded version.
A few days ago it was revealed that component suppliers believed that the successor to the current buds, likely called AirPods 2, would be released in the first half of 2019.
And as Forbes' Jay McGregor points out, whenever they arrive, Apple would do well to learn from the mistakes that Google made with its wireless headphones.
These new Apple AirPods will, it seems, have improved biometric capabilities and a new design, which you can read about here.
All very well, but if you can’t bear the thought of waiting for up to five more months, then a new leak may be music to your wirelessly-enabled ears.
Okay, then, what’s this new leak?
The latest leak comes from Apple itself, so is hard to dismiss. In the latest beta version of Apple’s iOS operating software, iOS 12.2, which has been released to developers but not the public yet, there is a set-up screen. This was reported by the ever-resourceful Guilherme Rambo at 9to5Mac.
The set-up screen is hidden for now, unless you, like Guilherme, know where to look. This is what the set-up screen says: “Talk to Siri with your AirPods or iPhone by saying ‘Hey, Siri’.”
Didn’t we know about this already?
Well, only partly. This new feature has been teased by Apple already, in the opening movie that played before the September 12, 2018 keynote. You can read about that here.
What’s new, then?
Glad you asked. This screen tells us a lot more about what’s coming. You see, if you’re setting up Hey, Siri on the AirPods, that means the earbuds have to be smart enough to recognize the phrase as it’s spoken, like the iPhone or Apple Watch do. Potentially, this could mean that the AirPods could recognize your specific voice, not just the phrase.
You mean, it’ll recognize my voice and only respond to me?
Well, although you may have read that’s the case, I’m not sure it is.
I think this is a training process just like the one carried out for iPhone, Apple Watch and HomePod. It’s getting the device used to how you say the phrase but it doesn’t rule out it responding to other voices as well if they also say, “Hey, Siri”.
After all, we’ve most of us witnessed devices reacting suddenly because they think we’ve said “Hey, Siri” or “Hey, Google” or “Alexa,” right?
Even so, training is a neat way to help the AirPods respond accurately.
How do you know this isn’t for the current AirPods?
Good point. I don’t. But I don’t think the processor on board the AirPods is quite powerful enough to handle this feature. Maybe those engineers at Apple have found a way to make this happen, but I’m not sure.
Also, AirPods 2 are so due, so overdue in fact, that the timing makes sense.
What is the timing, exactly?
Last year, iOS 11.3 went to developers’ beta on January 24, 2018, so almost exactly a year to the day before this dev beta. The final release was on March 29, 2018. That was two days after the special event in Chicago when Apple announced the latest iPad.
Rumor has it, partly based on this latest iOS 12 beta, that more iPads are coming, too, so another event might be in the offing.
Other rumors suggest that the wireless charging pad, AirPower, will be with us soon, too, with compatibility with AirPods thanks to a new wireless charging case.
Everything points to the suggestion that at some point in March, Apple will release AirPower, new iPads (and perhaps a new iPod) and maybe new AirPods 2, too.
Then this software is perhaps going to be released a day or two after that.
I’ll report back as more leaks appear, but you might want to pencil in March 2019 as the month that Apple will finally reveal its highly anticipated sequel to the AirPods.
Fingers crossed.
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