FRANKIE DeGROOT | News | CONTACT
In a surprising move, Apple has revealed the next generation of AirPods will feature string holding the earbuds to each other and the device.
Artemius Sham, Head of Product Development, said the new, user-driven design was an attempt to solve some common customer complaints about the existing product.
“Some users have reported losing their AirPods due to their compact size and lightweight. The new model will feature a string to connect the AirPods to each other, and to the device with the aid of a special hole in the casing. This will ensure that each unit will be physically linked to the device and will, therefore, be more difficult to drop or lose.”
When asked if the string could instead be replaced with some sort of wire through which the audio signal could travel from the device to the ears, Artemius was not sure.
“Huh? I guess that it could be possible in theory. It could be something we could look at in the future but I am not sure technology has reached that point yet”.
Since the interview, Apple has announced the next generation of AirPods, to be known as AirPods+, will be released in late 2020.
These will look similar to the existing AirPods, with the addition of an audio signal wire which will plug into a special 3.5mm jack to be featured on all new Apple devices.
At an RRP of $399, AirPods+ will retail at $150 more than the existing AirPods and are not compatible with any existing device.
