Óscar Gutiérrez / CNET
Apple's September event is in the rearview mirror, and while we saw two new Apple Watches and iPads, no iPhone 12 was announced at the virtual event. Now Apple is hosting another virtual event on October 13th (here is how to watch the livestream), where the iPhone 12 is likely to be revealed. A long-rumored device that could soon debut is the AirPods Studio, over-ear headphones that have been referred to for some time. (There is a couple of other Apple announcements We're still waiting for the AirTags, which, in addition to the expected launch of the iPhone 12, could also debut in October.) Apple also recently removed competing headphones and wireless speakers from its storesThis seems like a good sign that a headphone-related announcement is imminent.
Like other high-end headphones and the AirPods Pro, the AirPods Studio headphones likely have noise canceling and a transparency mode that can feed in external noise for personal safety and awareness of your surroundings. Although Apple owns Beats and already has several over-ear headphones like the Solo Pro available, there has been speculation about an Apple brand pair since early 2018.
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Given the success of AirPods in the wireless earbud market, Apple could try to bring all of its audio devices under one roof. Here's everything we've heard about the AirPods Studio so far.
Continue reading: All the rumors about the price of the iPhone 12 and its Design and color options
A mysterious headphone appears in iOS 14
We got some clues as to what AirPods Studio might look like, at least in terms of the icon in iOS when it was first spotted in iOS 14 code by 9to5Mac in May. The picture shows standard over-ear headphones with padded cups and a white or gray color, although on iOS this can only be a deviation for light and dark mode.
This isn't the first time a glyph or product image has appeared in software prior to an official release: AirPods Pro, PowerBeats Pro, and PowerBeats 4 were all discovered in glyph form before they were announced.
A previous report from Bloomberg also reported that Apple was working on several versions of over-ear headphones, including a fitness-oriented model and one with high-quality leather-like finishes. There has been speculation that the headphones could also have interchangeable components, such as swapping out ear cups. You can already customize products like the Apple Watch with a variety of metal surfaces, colors, and bands. So it's not surprising that Apple is taking similar actions with other wearables like headphones.
A picture and video later appeared online from a Twitter user named @choco_bit who claims to be showing what is known as the Sport version of the AirPods Pro. The pictures show headphones with two square cups and a headband that appears to be padded with something similar to the HomePod mesh. The video shows what a case could be for the headphones.
Probably the sports version of Apple's headphones
Unimpressed personally, looks too much like 2 palm pre's attached to 2 tuning forks: / hard to see
Looks like something @markgurman described in April, but with Homepod mesh pic.twitter.com/dzAufRRl7m
- Fudge (@choco_bit) September 16, 2020
The Apple leaker Jon Prosser also followed with the render below, which is similar to the models pictured above.
AirPods Studio
(Code name: B515)- High quality leather / metal
- Magnetic ear cups
- Reversible - Detects the R / L ear
- No headphone jack
- USBC portThese are the renders we did to protect the source. pic.twitter.com/6Abg2TgxiZ
- Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) September 16, 2020
Prosser said earlier The AirPods Studio would start at $ 349, putting them in the same range as premium headphones like the Bose 700 and Sony WH-1000XM4.
AirPods Studio may have unique sensors and audio tools
The most fascinating thing about the AirPods Studio is the rumors of what's inside. According to the same 9to5Mac report, they may have a sensor that detects whether the headphones are on your head or resting on your neck so they can play and pause music accordingly. This is similar to AirPods, which have sensors that detect when you take one out of your ear.
Unlike other over-ear headphones, the AirPods Studio may not have a right or wrong way to wear them. You may be able to automatically detect how to put on the headphones and adjust the left and right channels accordingly.
The AirPods Pro have an adaptive equalizer that automatically changes the sound depending on variables like your ear shape. However, they don't offer a user-adjustable EQ unless you change the settings in an app like Apple Music or Spotify. If the AirPods Studio is serious about competing with brands like Bose and Sony, Apple will likely have to provide us with a dedicated equalizer to tweak the AirPods Studio's sound settings.
As for battery life, we don't yet know how long the AirPods Studio might last. The Beats Solo Pro, Apple-owned headphones that cost $ 300 ($ 270, AU $ 429), offer 22 hours of listening time with active noise cancellation (or up to 40 hours without).
Continue reading: Apple's spatial audio functionality should be of concern to Bose and Sony
It's safe to assume that the AirPods Studio will have a touch panel or some way to control playback without reaching for your phone or using the voice assistant. This is similar to the regular AirPods with step control or stem control in the case of the AirPods Pro.
AirPods Studio could use Apple's U1 chip
Since debuting in the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro, Apple's ultrawide-band or U1 chip has flown a little under the radar. Right now it's used for more accurate AirDrop transfers, but it is The potential goes well beyond file sharing. The other potential for the U1 is its accurate location tracking. A Twitter user named @ L0vetodream announced that the AirPods Studio could use this chip.
This chip may be able to help the headphones route the audio according to their wear and tear, or more accurately locate the headphones in the Find My app.
Will the name beats fade? Will Apple keep AirPods and Beats separate?
This is a big question that we don't yet know the answer to. Apple has always kept the Beats headphones pretty separate from AirPods, although they share some of the same internals. The Solo Pro, released in 2019, for example, have active noise cancellation, transparency mode and the same chip as the AirPods for fast connections to Apple devices. They also come with voice activated Hey Siri.
One sign that the Beats Solo Pro might be on the way out is that they just received a significant $ 100 price cut from retailers including Amazon and Best Buy.