AirPods Studio Rumored to Come With U1 Chip, Ultra-Wideband Said to Be Vital to Future Apple Ecosystem

[iBreatheApple]

A Sunday post? ...wow.

 

[PickUrPoison]

What Harman’ research tends to demonstrate is precisely that a majority of people actually don’t like the “Beats” sound. It’s a preconception but not the reality.
Besides the latest Beats actually measure decently if that means trying to adhere decently well to target curves that consumers tend to prefer, at least relative to their typical alternatives, and have little to do sound wise with their forebears.
When Harman did blind tests by simulating various headphones’ frequency response, the Beats came dead last in terms of user preference (cf video above).
If earlier Beats sold well, it isn’t because their FR corresponds to what most people like, but in spite of it.
Harman’s curve supposedly ressembles what a pair of speakers that measure flat in an anechoic chamber produce in a well designed listening room BTW.

So OP said his friends much prefer boosted bass. From that, I presumed they listened to current popular music, and my reply was in that context 🙂

Those who like hip hop want bass you can feel, infrasonic and near-infrasonic. The kind of bass you get from subwoofers. Those consumers like a lot of bass, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

But you can’t get that sound with any headphones. So they boost the bass, and to them, it sounds better. Whether they’re actually perceiving the missing (or highly attenuated) fundamental or just hearing the overtones (second, third and higher order harmonics) probably varies from person to person but isn’t particularly relevant.

I haven’t looked at the Harman stuff through the last couple revisions (which I assume are slight) but they did find a preference for more bass in younger listeners, I’d think based on preferred program material but maybe there’s another reason.

The Harman curve itself shows less of that preference because it’s averaged in with older listeners who actually prefer less bass.

 

[satchmo]

Similar high end headphone like Bowers and Wilkins runs around $400, so maybe $500-600?

 

[gene731]

And the price is $999

So what if it is. I’ve paid nearly that for Sennheiser wired cans. If they have great sound and are comfortable is all that matters. Is Apple up to that top tier sound level don’t know if they are or not. Haven’t had any AirPods and the earbuds that came with phone they get tossed to the side anyway.

 

[UltimateSyn]

I would like to know their price. I’m thinking $399.

 

[macman312]

I’d hope they would price them around the same as Bose/Sony NC headphones. Surely that is the market they are aiming for?

 

[deevey]

So OP said his friends much prefer boosted bass. From that, I presumed they listened to current popular music, and my reply was in that context 🙂

Those who like hip hop want bass you can feel, infrasonic and near-infrasonic. The kind of bass you get from subwoofers. Those consumers like a lot of bass, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

But you can’t get that sound with any headphones. So they boost the bass, and to them, it sounds better. Whether they’re actually perceiving the missing (or highly attenuated) fundamental or just hearing the overtones (second, third and higher order harmonics) probably varies from person to person but isn’t particularly relevant.

I haven’t looked at the Harman stuff through the last couple revisions (which I assume are slight) but they did find a preference for more bass in younger listeners, I’d think based on preferred program material but maybe there’s another reason.

The Harman curve itself shows less of that preference because it’s averaged in with older listeners who actually prefer less bass.

I would take a guess that whatever is release with have tuning will be more in-line with mass market perception of what sounds good out-of-the-box without EQ'ing and look good doing it.

Apple I'm sure know their demographic for headphones better than anyone and will EQ it to suit as many of those potential users as possible rather than those who want as-flat-as-possible.

We'll see some additional Bluetooth tricks and Noise Cancellation that no-one else can touch.

At the end of the day marketing will be a big factor on their success as much as anything else.

I'd predict $299 version and $499 versions.

 

[tegranjeet]

If you’ve been paying attention to the Apple Watch, you’ll know that Apple sells lots of bands at ridiculous margin. And they just upped it with a $100 dollar piece of fabric. People eat it up, myself included. And the watch itself comes in many tiers of pricing.

These, being a wearable, will be no different. These will definitely come in lower than $300 for the base model. With one or maybe two higher tiers.

Psychologically, it’s easier to say yes to multiple low priced items rather than one high priced item. For some reason we will say yes to multiple items that may even end up costing more than the one item.

Apple knows this and takes advantage of it.

We are going to eat up the colorized magnetic ear pieces at $99. So cheap! Ha. This customizable high-tech pre-AR headset is going to just keep shooting Apple up the charts...

 

[PickUrPoison]

If you’ve been paying attention to the Apple Watch, you’ll know that Apple sells lots of bands at ridiculous margin. And they just upped it with a $100 dollar piece of fabric. People eat it up, myself included. And the watch itself comes in many tiers of pricing.

These, being a wearable, will be no different. These will definitely come in lower than $300 for the base model. With one or maybe two higher tiers.

Psychologically, it’s easier to say yes to multiple low priced items rather than one high priced item. For some reason we will say yes to multiple items that may even end up costing more than the one item.

Apple knows this and takes advantage of it.

We are going to eat up the colorized magnetic ear pieces at $99. So cheap! Ha. This customizable high-tech pre-AR headset is going to just keep shooting Apple up the charts...

Nailed it.

The beauty part is that the additional bands are optional, and subsidize the cost of the entry level product—exactly like CPU, GPU, RAM and SSD optional upgrades do for Apple’s (palm, tablet, notebook and desktop) computers. It’s no different for these wearable computers 🙂

 

[pcdtech]

For months I was so excited to purchase these headphones and, when they leaked, I was immediately turned off. I was hoping for a design similar to the Sony WH-1000XM4. I think I’ll try the Sony’s out now after seeing this design. The AirPods Studio design looks...awful.

 

[PickUrPoison]

Apple has a decades-long history of extremely good sound quality, often reasonably priced and getting the major things correct without the audiophile fussiness.

- Original Airport Express - bit perfect wireless music since 2006
- iPods and iPhones - almost universally built with high end amps and DAC’s with perfectly flat response and very low output impedance.
- Lightning to 3.5mm adapter - a $9 dongle in an almost unbelievably compact size that puts almost the entire category of “portable amps/DAC‘s” (many costing hundreds of dollars) to shame.
- Homepod - extremely high end sound from a compact device that automatically adjusts to the space its in with no user input
- Airpod Pros - sound that matches or exceeds most wired in-ear monitors anywhere near the price category - yet with all the convenience of wireless.

I suspect I’m missing a bunch of others.

Even with a solid 5-figures in my “audiophile“ rack, when Apple does audio, I listen.

A strong Yes to all the above. You might already be aware, but Apple has one of the most innovative inventors ever in the field of audio engineering, Tomlinson Holman—the “TH” in THX—who has been at Apple since 2011 (promoted to Distinguished Engineer last September). The man is a legend—at least to audiophiles and audio engineers of a certain age lol.

He was likely key to some of the innovative technologies and the excellent sound in general of HomePod, and he's probably also partly responsible, along with the larger audio engineering group, for the improvement in overall sound of Apple’s Macs in recent years. He may also have some part in AirPods, and even the improvements over the years to the Beats lineup.

 

[applenerd600]

That picture is just guess work based on nothing of merit. I wouldn’t worry.

Apple wouldn't sell a product that doesn't look awesome in the eyes of their costumers. Let's wait till they announce how it will look.

 

[Chester Stone]

The idea of AirTags being a key part of a larger U1 network to "bridge" different devices, with privacy at the forefront, may explain what makes AirTags different from existing item trackers and why Apple has seemingly waited so long to unveil them. Not only does this have potential for more private, accurate, and widespread item tracking capabilities, but also close-range data transfer between devices with supplementary directional information.

What does "more private" mean?

Private has a lot of meanings, but usually in an iOS context, Apple uses it to talk about passcode systems and keeping user data like Apple ID and contact information from being hacked or sold to advertisers.

"more private" item tracking doesn't make sense. If you lose a physical item, that by definition means it's no longer in your hands or physical control. Having a U1 chip inside doesn't make it any more in-range. If someone else finds it, no amount of tech is going to keep that device private to you.

Please be more descriptive. 😡 Or use a more appropriate word, that doesn't confuse this concept of "privacy" with everywhere else at Apple where that word is thrown around.

 

[44267547]

And the price is $999

Doubtful. I’d say If Apple is to at least rival the competition with Sony, Bose and Sennheiser, realistically I’d say they will probably start somewhere around $599, and Probably be offered in a few different models with different materials, bundles, etc that will move upward in price.

 

[Abazigal]

What does "more private" mean?

Private has a lot of meanings, but usually in an iOS context, Apple uses it to talk about passcode systems and keeping user data like Apple ID and contact information from being hacked or sold to advertisers.

"more private" item tracking doesn't make sense. If you lose a physical item, that by definition means it's no longer in your hands or physical control. Having a U1 chip inside doesn't make it any more in-range. If someone else finds it, no amount of tech is going to keep that device private to you.

Please be more descriptive. Or use a more appropriate word, that doesn't confuse this concept of "privacy" with everywhere else at Apple where that word is thrown around.

It’s private in that not even Apple knows where you are.

The Clever Cryptography Behind Apple's 'Find My' Feature

Apple says an elaborate rotating key scheme will soon let you track down your stolen laptop, but not let anyone track you. Not even Apple.

www.wired.com

This is some advanced stuff right out of a Batman movie.

 

[nylonsteel]

if the product looks like the pic - i would not by them just on looks alone

 

[sirozha]

Doubtful. I’d say If Apple is to at least rival the competition with Sony, Bose and Sennheiser, realistically I’d say they will probably start somewhere around $599, and Probably be offered in a few different models with different materials, bundles, etc that will move upward in price.

Well, the Apple wheels for the Mac Pro certainly compete with my car’s wheels on price.

 

[incoherent_1]

I love the idea of having a standard chip present in EVERY Apple device that enables:

1. Tracking a la AirTags (can be found through the network of iOS devices)
2. Augmented reality features

This is the kind of integration that will serve the masses (and not just geeks like us who read techie blogs).

 

[McScooby]

If you’ve been paying attention to the Apple Watch, you’ll know that Apple sells lots of bands at ridiculous margin. And they just upped it with a $100 dollar piece of fabric. People eat it up, myself included. And the watch itself comes in many tiers of pricing.

These, being a wearable, will be no different. These will definitely come in lower than $300 for the base model. With one or maybe two higher tiers.

Psychologically, it’s easier to say yes to multiple low priced items rather than one high priced item. For some reason we will say yes to multiple items that may even end up costing more than the one item.

Apple knows this and takes advantage of it.

We are going to eat up the colorized magnetic ear pieces at $99. So cheap! Ha. This customizable high-tech pre-AR headset is going to just keep shooting Apple up the charts...

Funnily enough, I just noticed on the Watch receipt that they charged me separately for the watch case and the band. Seems a bit stupid that I can't buy the case separate to the band, then again if I could I can see Apple charging the same for the case as with both. Gouging extreme.

 

[MacCheetah3]

Mainly, I wanted to say, AirPods Studio is a silly name, even somewhat of an oxymoron. To me, unless I'm forgetting a prior use of such a name, Apple Studio headphones would be much better.

So OP said his friends much prefer boosted bass. From that, I presumed they listened to current popular music, and my reply was in that context 🙂

Those who like hip hop want bass you can feel, infrasonic and near-infrasonic. The kind of bass you get from subwoofers. Those consumers like a lot of bass, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

But you can’t get that sound with any headphones. So they boost the bass, and to them, it sounds better. Whether they’re actually perceiving the missing (or highly attenuated) fundamental or just hearing the overtones (second, third and higher order harmonics) probably varies from person to person but isn’t particularly relevant.

I haven’t looked at the Harman stuff through the last couple revisions (which I assume are slight) but they did find a preference for more bass in younger listeners, I’d think based on preferred program material but maybe there’s another reason.

The Harman curve itself shows less of that preference because it’s averaged in with older listeners who actually prefer less bass.

Agreed, for the most part. "But you can’t get that sound with any headphones." Maybe not with headphones (i.e. over or on-ear) though earphones (i.e. in-ear) can create an identical sound experience because of their proximity to the eardrum and compression characteristic of the ear canal. Granted, you don't get the full (body) sensation of a subwoofer.

I haven't tried Beats, but for a couple of decades at least, Sony earphones emphasized low frequencies, no doubt as they also were popular with younger listeners.

I would take a guess that whatever is release with have tuning will be more in-line with mass market perception of what sounds good out-of-the-box without EQ'ing and look good doing it.

Apple I'm sure know their demographic for headphones better than anyone and will EQ it to suit as many of those potential users as possible rather than those who want as-flat-as-possible.

Perhaps I missed something as I didn't read every post, however, considering AirPods, AirPods Pro, and the Beats lineup are apparently satisfying the majority of general consumer needs, the Studio headphones would indeed be aimed at professionals. In which case, it would be embarrassing to release a product that doesn't have drivers with the most realistic, wide-range sound reproduction possible (I think).

 

[atmenterprises]

Will these headphones be able to compete with wired headphones in terms of latency? That's my second biggest complaint about wireless headphones, especially when using Logic Pro.

My first complaint is all of the fidgeting needed to get them to connect or to get both ears to connect.

 

[GrumpyCoder]

Will these headphones be able to compete with wired headphones in terms of latency?

No. No matter what you do, you're dealing with wireless technology which will always have latency issues in direct comparison to wired technology. Ask yourself how much latency is acceptable for your use-case and then make a decision on what you buy.

 

[Brien]

Reversible headphones sounds like a good idea, but ergonomically... hope they are comfortable?
[automerge]1600713677[/automerge]

Will these headphones be able to compete with wired headphones in terms of latency? That's my second biggest complaint about wireless headphones, especially when using Logic Pro.

My first complaint is all of the fidgeting needed to get them to connect or to get both ears to connect.

If Apple can do low latency and CD-quality sound I'm in.

 

[atmenterprises]

No. No matter what you do, you're dealing with wireless technology which will always have latency issues in direct comparison to wired technology. Ask yourself how much latency is acceptable for your use-case and then make a decision on what you buy.

Yeah. That makes sense. With latency though, I'm confounded as to why Apple would include the word "studio" in the name.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Yeah. That makes sense. With latency though, I'm confounded as to why Apple would include the word "studio" in the name.

Bluetooth, with optional USBC