Apple AirPods Studio: What To Expect…
Apple’s working on a pair of over-ear headphones, dubbed AirPods Studio, and they’ll be the most expensive AirPods you can buy – here’s what you need to know…
Apple’s AirPods have been widely successful, so it was only a matter of time before the company developed a pair of over-ear headphones to rival the likes of Bose’s QC35 II and other, premium headphones with ANC…
In this post, we will detail EVERYTHING that is currently known about the Apple AirPods Studio, including how they’ll work, how much they’ll cost, and when you’ll be able to buy them.
Let’s do this!
Apple AirPods Studio – What Are They?
Unlike AirPods, the Apple AirPods Studio will be over-ear headphones. They will pack in Apple’s Active Noise Cancellation technology and, according to reports, will be some of the smallest over-ear headphones on the market, so you can expect them to be super-lightweight.
On top of this, Apple’s design incorporates a bunch of smart sensors that will enable the Apple AirPods Studio headphones to detect how they’re being worn. This means the cans will orient themselves if you have them on the wrong way around, switching the left to the right and the right to the left, for instance.
In addition to this, the Apple AirPods Studio – also known as AirPods X – will also know when you take them off. For instance, say you remove the headphones and wear them around your neck, the AirPods Studio will be able to detect this and will pause the music or whatever else you’re listening to.
Apple is also rumored to be working on a dedicated application for iOS and macOS that will allow the user to dial-in the headphone’s EQ to their exact requirements. The brand name “Studio” implies that these headphones will be positioned as “professional” headphones, so you can expect to pay big bucks for them once they land.
The Apple AirPods Studio will likely be white, lightweight, and based on, are developed on top of, existing Beats headphones. The Apple AirPods Studio is likely the #1 reason why Apple acquired Beats in the first place – it wanted access to its resources, designers, and acoustic experts that it could use when developing its own over-ear products.
Longer-term, many believe the Beats brand will eventually be absorbed by the AirPods brand. Nothing is confirmed yet, but given the success of Apple’s AirPods, the combining of the two brands makes a lot of sense given that both brands will soon have plenty of crossovers.
Apple AirPods Studio Specs
Nothing concrete is known about the AirPods Studio’s specs. We’ll know more in the coming weeks and months. But as of right now, most sources tend to agree that Apple’s over-ear headphones will be markedly similar to the existing Beats 700 headphones. And you can see a breakdown of their specs below:
- Battery life: 20 hours
- Weight: 0.56 pounds
- 11 levels of noise cancellation
- Can pair with two devices at once
- USB-C charging port
- Bluetooth range: up to 33 feet
- Codecs: AAC and SBC
- Available in black or silver
Given the above specs, all the major boxes are ticked. You have excellent battery life, very impressive noise cancellation, decent codec support. This will likely form the basis of the AirPods Studio but I would expect Apple to augment things further, adding more advanced woofers and tweeters, as well as wider support for more codecs.
Apple AirPods Studio Price
The AirPods Studio will be positioned as premium headphones. As for pricing, word on the street suggests Apple’s AirPods Studio headphones will retail for $350, making them the most expensive AirPods headphones in Apple’s current AirPods range.
Cheaper AirPods Studio Models?
There have been reports of two AirPods Studio models coming to the market. You’ll apparently have the flagship AirPods Studio model which will retail for $350 and another “Lite” model that will retail for around $250, though these ones will apparently lack active noise cancellation.
Again, all of this is rumor and conjecture; no one knows for sure if Apple will be releasing a cheaper pair at launch. I’m not 100% on this rumor either; Apple tends to have a singular focus when it launches new products. It doesn’t like any distracting elements. This is why we had ONE iPad at launch and ONE iPhone when it first came out.
Apple AirPods Studio Release Date
When will you be able to buy the Apple AirPods Studio headphones? Again, no one knows for sure. But the general consensus online seems to be that the AirPods Studio might be launched at WWDC 2020 in June with a release date following showily thereafter.
Another alternative? Apple could delay the launch and release of the AirPods Studio until 2021. As of right now, given the current global situation, all bets are off with respect to product launches. Things are just way to changeable right now.
Be sure to check out Do AirPods Affect Your Hearing?
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