Recap: Bloomberg in a report last month said Apple is planning to launch at least two variants of AirPods Studio: one utilizing leather and a fitness-focused model featuring lighter, more breathable materials. The report even said Apple is testing modular headband and earcup pads that attach magnetically and can be swapped in a jiffy.
Apple’s oft-rumored over-ear headphones are slowly taking shape as additional details leak out with each passing day.
Sources familiar with the matter recently told 9to5Mac that the headphones, dubbed AirPods Studio, will include a sensor capable of determining if the headphones are on your head or around your neck. Presumably, this would allow the unit to automatically pause content when you take the headset off and place it around your neck (but importantly, not kill the power entirely).
A different sensor, meanwhile, will reportedly be capable of identifying your left and right ear, meaning there technically would be no right or wrong way to put the headset on. Most traditional headsets have dedicated left and right audio channels that don’t change based on headset orientation.
AirPods Studio will also have Transparency Mode and Active Noise Cancellation, just like the existing AirPods Pro. Sources also say that, as a high-end product, users will have access to custom equalizer settings when pairing the headset with a Mac or iOS device.
Apple’s AirPods Studio are rumored to retail for $349 and could be offered in black and white color schemes. No word yet on when they are scheduled to drop. WWDC 2020 is just around the corner and could be a prime launch pad, especially considering Apple doesn’t have much else new in the pipeline at the moment.
Masthead credit: Tharnapoom Voranavin, Tevarit
https://www.techspot.com/news/85196-airpods-studio-feature-head-neck-detection-ear-orientation.html
