Apple has introduced AirPods, new wireless headphones that use advanced technology and interact with Siri.
They eliminate the hassles of wireless headphones, by just flipping open the lid of its charging case and, with one tap, they are instantly set up and ready to work with your iPhone and Apple Watch, according to Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. Advanced sensors know when you are listening and automatically play and pause your music.
Using Siri, AirPods allow you to access your favorite personal assistant with just a double tap. This revolutionary experience is enabled by the new ultra-low power Apple W1 chip, which enables AirPods to deliver high-quality audio and industry-leading battery life in a completely wireless design, says Schiller. They’ll be available starting in late October.
To use, just open the charging case near your iPhone and with a simple tap, AirPods are immediately set up with all the devices signed into your iCloud account, including your iPad and Mac. They’re connected and ready to go when you are; just put them in your ears when you want to listen. AirPods can intelligently and seamlessly switch from a call on your iPhone to listening to music on your Apple Watch.
The Apple W1 chip enables the groundbreaking innovations in AirPods, with dual optical sensors and accelerometers in each AirPod that work with the W1 chip to detect when AirPods are in your ear, so they only play when you are ready to listen. Remove them to automatically pause the music, or just remove one to have a conversation and automatically resume when you put it back.
You can access Siri with a double tap to your AirPods to select and control your music, change the volume, check your battery life or perform any other Siri task. An additional accelerometer in each AirPod detects when you’re speaking, enabling a pair of beam-forming microphones to focus on the sound of your voice, filtering out external noise to make your voice sound clearer.
The Apple W1 chip operates at one-third of the power of traditional wireless chips, enabling AirPods to deliver up to five hours of listening time on one charge. The custom-designed charging case holds additional charges for more than 24 hours of total listening time.
The wireless AirPods including charging case will be available for $159 from Apple.com and Apple Stores beginning in late October. They require Apple devices running iOS 10, watchOS 3 or macOS Sierra.