Apple Granted Product Certifications for 'AirPods', New iPhones and Apple Watch Models

[Pilgrim1099]

If they remove the headphones jack, the only decision that makes sense in a philosophical way is to cut with the past (pun intended) and go completely wireless.

Airpods will be included, while the upsell option will be a revamped line of Beats wireless devices, with a male Lightning charging port.

Color me completely disappointed if the default earbuds are wired (Lightning). That's not a signal of change.

Bluetooth adapters for headphones have been around for some time. The default ear buds will be wired to lightning and I suspect a 3.5 to Lightning adapter OR a 3.5 to bluetooth dongle will be included to make the transition less painful. The BT dongle will require recharging. One company at the west coast already makes BT dongles for wireless listening to the ipod or iphone. They were built for ruggedness and cost close to $40 a pop. I have one and it requires recharging. Apple will NOT be the first to go wireless with headphones. They already lost that momentum.

So expect Apple to sell a "premium" version of that around $50-60 when it really is the exact same thing as other dongles. Especially the AirPods which I think will be for the 2017 models, not this year. Apple cannot afford to screw the customers even more, especially in light of the EU tax decision and ' touch disease ' lawsuit.

 

[NT1440]

I'm personally very excited for Airpods, I've been waiting for a real wireless earbud solution for a few years. I'm hoping they won't be paired by a wire to each other as that's why I refuse to use the various sets I've purchased in the past.

 

[Crzyrio]

Apple wouldn't include wireless earbuds in the box considering they'll probably cost around £150-£200. Expect Lightning connected EarPods in the box and their AirPods to be sold separately.

I do not know, this may be the one time where Apple surprises a lot of us. Lightning headphones would just be a bad decision on their part. If they are removing the jack, theyll go wireless.

 

[djcerla]

Apple will NOT be the first to go wireless with headphones. They already lost that momentum.

Why? Isn't this the perfect moment for the switch, given BT5?

 

[NT1440]

I do not know, this may be the one time where Apple surprises a lot of us. Lightning headphones would just be a bad decision on their part. If they are removing the jack, theyll go wireless.

Personally I think they're going to go lightning (otherwise having that vendor meeting last year explaining how to make lightning headphones that can be Made For iPhone certified would have been pointless) including, and offering the AirPods as a totally separate product.

 

[Pilgrim1099]

Why? Isn't this the perfect moment for the switch, given BT5?

The point is that they can't take credit for being the first to go that route however, they'll be looked at as one of the companies that jumped into the wireless foray with BT5 to change standards. I still don't agree with their decision to make the phone thinner just for the sake of BT and more speakers. I prefer the thickness of the SE or older models as they were easier to hold and text with.

 

[SMIDG3T]

this makes perfect sense. I wonder if this one of the reasons they brought Beats? if they have been working on these for a few years, they would of known in advance. If they are really good, i wont mind paying £150-£200 for them alongside an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus.

Apple's AirPods will be a first-party product and will have nothing to do with Beats, I think.

If they do include them in the box and the iPhone 7 remains the same price, that's a very good deal although I don't see it happening.

 

[Hvstexp]

So it seems an additional Apple Watch 1 with updated processor ist really happening. I wonder if there will be another major feature for AW 2 despite GPS and battery life improvements to differentiate... Doesn't seem enough to justify the second model. Perhaps it's indeed the FaceTime camera, or - which I would really love to see (but unlikely) - cellular.

A spec bumped Version of Apple Watch 1 was already what I expected of Apple Watch 2, so perhaps there will be a pleasant surprise ;-)

 

[Dave245]

Apple's AirPods will be a first-party product and will have nothing to do with Beats, I think.

If they do include them in the box and the iPhone 7 remains the same price, that's a very good deal although I don't see it happening.

Maybe, but I don't think they will be included in the box, there will either be an adapted or a pair of lightning earphones, the same as the ones we get now with the jack on it. I think Apple will sell the Airpods separately as a premium accessory, especially if they have been working on them for a few years. Couple this with the dual camera and I think this year will the first time we will see an iPhone reach close to £1000.

 

[Mac 128]

Apple's AirPods will be a first-party product and will have nothing to do with Beats, I think.

If they do include them in the box and the iPhone 7 remains the same price, that's a very good deal although I don't see it happening.

Given the rumor of 4 color ways and the usual storage options, this idea would mean an explosion of SKUs, but certainly no more complex than the Watch SKUs, or even iPad SKUs with and without LTE ... But what about offering a premium option of AirPods in the box, or the base option of Lightning in the box?

Nah, probably not. Lightning headphones will be cheap enough to include for everyone, and giving a discount for bundling the AirPods would shed light on Apple's cost of including the headphones, so there's no point ... Is there?

 

[0958400]

AirPod Pro: They can fly!

 

[ronntaylor]

Originally I thought Apple should include wireless earbuds. But I seriously doubt that'll happen. They'll include an adapter and expect buyers to already have earbuds laying about to use. It's all about high margins for Apple.

 

[NT1440]

Originally I thought Apple should include wireless earbuds. But I seriously doubt that'll happen. They'll include an adapter and expect buyers to already have earbuds laying about to use. It's all about high margins for Apple.

If the rumors of a custom bluetooth chip are true....do you really think AirPods (the name I'm assuming they're going with) would be low enough cost with R&D to give out included? I'd imagine they cost at least an order of magnitude more to produce than earPods.

That said, I fully expect that by iPhone 10(ish) the supply chain will be mature enough that they will be included with every iPhone.

 

[ronntaylor]

If the rumors of a custom bluetooth chip are true....do you really think AirPods (the name I'm assuming they're going with) would be low enough cost with R&D to give out included? I'd imagine they cost at least an order of magnitude more to produce than earPods.

Of course the price will be too high. That's why I wrote I changed my mind about Apple including them. Hell, knowing Apple, they probably don't want to include an adapter.

 

[Mac 128]

Originally I thought Apple should include wireless earbuds. But I seriously doubt that'll happen. They'll include an adapter and expect buyers to already have earbuds laying about to use. It's all about high margins for Apple.

No. This scenario will never happen.

 

[Crzyrio]

Personally I think they're going to go lightning (otherwise having that vendor meeting last year explaining how to make lightning headphones that can be Made For iPhone certified would have been pointless) including, and offering the AirPods as a totally separate product.

There can still be an emphasis on lightning headphones along with the beats line moving to lightning but I hope your wrong and they include BT Headphones with iPhones

 

[NT1440]

Of course the price will be too high. That's why I wrote I changed my mind about Apple including them. Hell, knowing Apple, they probably don't want to include an adapter.

The adapter (IMO) is an absolute must, either way there will be hell to pay from the media...just because it's a story.


Either way, as long as the wireless ones don't require a 7 (which they might if the new bluetooth chip isn't backwards compatible protocol-wise) I'm excited!
[doublepost=1472567497][/doublepost]

There can still be an emphasis on lightning headphones along with the beats line moving to lightning but I hope your wrong and they include BT Headphones with iPhones

Believe me, I hope I'm wrong too. But given the costs involved I don't think I will be. But who knows!

 

[Dave245]

There can still be an emphasis on lightning headphones along with the beats line moving to lightning but I hope your wrong and they include BT Headphones with iPhones

This is probably true, I've noticed that Beats have been selling off their wired range just lately here in the UK, their wireless range is still the same price tho. Maybe after Apple's keynote next week they will announce a new range or update them to have a lightning connector, because Apple own Beats it could of already started.

 

[baller1308]

I really hope we see wireless earbuds this year. It'd make a lot of people happy and make up for the fact there's no headphone jack.

It's going to happen. Now it's whether or not they include them with the iPhone or if you will have to buy them separately.

 

[Mac 128]

The adapter (IMO) is an absolute must, either way there will be hell to pay from the media...just because it's a story.


Either way, as long as the wireless ones don't require a 7 (which they might if the new bluetooth chip isn't backwards compatible protocol-wise) I'm excited!
[doublepost=1472567497][/doublepost]
Believe me, I hope I'm wrong too. But given the costs involved I don't think I will be. But who knows!

1. Apple is not going to encourage people to continue to use their old, cheaper technology. Including an adapter would be an admission that they're making a mistake, and the media would just as likely have a field day with that too.

2. The new BT headphones will likely have a new proprietary protocol only compatible with new Apple hardware, however, I expect it to be fully compatible with older BT equipment. For devices without BT 5, they will work like current BT headphones do now, but all new Apple products will enable higher quality audio and conveniences like easy pairing.

3. Right, AirPods will likely be revolutionary in quality, convenience, and battery life. That's a $150-200 product which they are not going to put in the box. We might expect to get a much higher quality Earbud though in order to showcase Lightning audio quality.

 

[SMIDG3T]

It's going to happen. Now it's whether or not they include them with the iPhone or if you will have to buy them separately.

I hope so. I've been waiting for these for a while now. It doesn't matter if I have to buy them or not. Today's news looks hopeful we'll see them this year and not next year.

 

[ramonabynes]

1. Apple is not going to encourage people to continue to use their old, cheaper technology. Including an adapter would be an admission that they're making a mistake, and the media would just as likely have a field day with that too.

2. The new BT headphones will likely have a new proprietary protocol only compatible with new Apple hardware, however, I expect it to be fully compatible with older BT equipment. For devices without BT 5, they will work like current BT headphones do now, but all new Apple products will enable higher quality audio and conveniences like easy pairing.

3. Right, AirPods will likely be revolutionary in quality, convenience, and battery life. That's a $150-200 product which they are not going to put in the box. We might expect to get a much higher quality Earbud though in order to showcase Lightning audio quality.

What I don't understand is how we can expect the AirPods to be $150 - $200 when the Beats are the same price? I, for one, would clearly buy the Beats. Unless the battery life is drastically different. And Anyway, a lot of people find the current shape of the earbuds hard to use.. They don't feel the best and they don't stay in.

 

[canadianreader]

Airpods are a big money maker I'd be surprised if they included them in the box.

 

[GaryLasereyes]

Bluetooth adapters for headphones have been around for some time. The default ear buds will be wired to lightning and I suspect a 3.5 to Lightning adapter OR a 3.5 to bluetooth dongle will be included to make the transition less painful. The BT dongle will require recharging. One company at the west coast already makes BT dongles for wireless listening to the ipod or iphone. They were built for ruggedness and cost close to $40 a pop. I have one and it requires recharging. Apple will NOT be the first to go wireless with headphones. They already lost that momentum.

So expect Apple to sell a "premium" version of that around $50-60 when it really is the exact same thing as other dongles. Especially the AirPods which I think will be for the 2017 models, not this year. Apple cannot afford to screw the customers even more, especially in light of the EU tax decision and ' touch disease ' lawsuit.

Apple removes ports from their devices pretty regularly and has never included an adapter before so I really can't see them starting now. They've never seemed to concerned about helping consumers transition. Apple decides where they see the future of tech and they'll meet you there but they're not going to give you a ride.

Keep in mind that Apple is a design company as much as it's a tech company. In the world of design adapters are considered tacky.

 

[Mac 128]

Apple removes ports from their devices pretty regularly and has never included an adapter before so I really can't see them starting now. They've never seemed to concerned about helping consumers transition. Apple decides where they see the future of tech and they'll meet you there but they're not going to give you a ride.

Keep in mind that Apple is a design company as much as it's a tech company. In the world of design adapters are considered tacky.

Helping consumers transition is not always the best plan. Apple wants the customer to adopt the new technology, not live somewhere in the middle.

If the US had just dumped imperial measurements and not tried to transition to metric by providing dual hybrid speed limit signs, etc., then the US wouldn't be the only modern country in the world not using metric today.

We saw this happen with digital broadcasts. Most people did nothing about it, despite the avilability of higher quality digital broadcasts and digital TV hardware, until the government switched off the analogue transmitters.

Apple is doing it the right way. The only adapter Apple should include in the box is one that helps Apple, in much the same way they provided display adapters with new Macs to maintain compatibility with their then currently selling monitors. Apple could include a relatively cheap Lightning headphone to 3.5mm analogue source adapter so that the new Lightning headphones will be compatible with current Macs, and older iPods and iPads.