H1, anyone? While not quite swine flu, AirPods seem to be contagious: almost everyone walking down a busy Manhattan street is wearing the ubiquitous white, wireless headphones. Apple unveiled the next generation of the beloved gadget Wednesday. AirPods 2 feature an upgraded proprietary H1 chip allowing for more battery time: three (up from two) hours of talk and five hours of listening on a full charge, better device connectivity and lower “latency” (i.e. lag time between the device and your ears). The newest innovation out of Tim Cook’s House of Sleek promises customers a smoother, and even more hands-free experience with “Hey, Siri” functionality, which lets you consult the virtual concierge without having to reach into your pocket. However, the incremental boosts of nearly identical tech has some scratching their heads, and others plugging their ears. Last week, 250 scientists from 40 countries signed onto a petition, sent to the World Health Organization that warned of the unique dangers of AirPods: namely of microwave radiation used in the Bluetooth technology which experts fear may cause cancer, exacerbated in AirPods by their design, which tunnels into the ear canal, sitting closer to the brain than other wireless products. If that’s not enough to deter the millennials and start-up bros amongst whom AirPods have become a social currency, the price may. For $159 you get the new AirPods in a charging case, but for 40 bucks more, you can get the pair in a wireless charging case (as of yet, and per Kafka, the wireless charging mat for the wireless charging case has yet to be revealed). Standalone charging cases are available for $79. For those who prefer customization, Apple is offering free engraving on AirPods cases. Engrave your contact information, a favorite quote — or maybe “waste of money.”<doc-sep>Apple is on a roll – today it’s upgrading the AirPods. The second generation truly wireless earbuds comes with (optional) wireless charging, improved battery life and hands-free “Hey, Siri”. The company unveiled the Qi wireless charging case. It's optional because the new AirPods come with a regular case by default, this combo costs $160 (charging is done over a Lightning cable). If you want the new AirPods plus the Qi case, the cost goes up to $200. There’s some good news for owners of first generation AirPods – the Qi case is backwards compatible and available on its own for $80. It has a Lightning port too, for those occasions when there’s no Qi mat handy. The second generation wireless Apple buds have new features, which may make you want to upgrade anyway. For one, you can now wake up Siri completely hands-free (no need to double tap like before). And, if you use the headphones with multiple devices, the new models are twice as fast when switching between e.g. your iPhone and your MacBook. New AirPods • New Qi charging case Plus, the second-gen AirPods are powered by the new H1 chip, which supports Bluetooth 5.0 (up from 4.2) and is more power efficient. This means that the talk time rating has gone up by 50% - that’s an extra hour of phone calls before you need to put the buds back in their case. The charging cases – both the wired and wireless ones – extend the total battery life of the AirPods to 24 hours. The new AirPods are available right now on Apple.com.<doc-sep>Apple released the long-awaited update to the first-generation AirPods today. As expected, the 2nd-generation of the popular fully-wireless earbuds feature a new Qi wireless charging case and “Hey Siri” functionality. There’s also a new H1 chip that offers several improvements over the original AirPods. Read on for a detailed look at what’s different between the old and new AirPods. Wireless charging case One of the major changes with the AirPods refresh is the arrival of the Qi Wireless Charging Case. This allows the charging case itself to be refueled wirelessly with any Qi charger in addition to the case wireless recharging your AirPods (as well as via Lightning). Several third-parties have offered aftermarket solutions for this, but they typically add some bulk to the charging case. Apple now sells the new AirPods with the Wireless Charging Case, without it, and also sells the new case as a separate purchase for $79. Another small change with the new case is the LED indicator has been moved from the inside to the outside front of the case. Battery Life Both the new AirPods with Wireless Charging Case and AirPods with Charging Case have improved battery life with 50% more talk time over the first-generation AirPods. Features and Performance Aside from the new Wireless Charging Case, the 2nd-generation AirPods offer a new and improved H1 chip that brings several advancements over the W1 chip in the first-gen AirPods. In addition to helping achieve 50% more talk time, the H1 chip “delivers up to 30 percent lower gaming latency.” The new AirPods also connect to phone calls 1.5 times faster and perform 2 times faster for switching devices. A new option for the new AirPods is the ability to include custom engraving, keep in mind they may be delivered later than orders without engraving. One other tidbit on sweat/water-resistance, there doesn’t appear to be any improvement or change from the original AirPods. That means they’ll likely hold up well during workouts and in light rain, but aren’t considered waterproof by any means. The second generation AirPods will only be compatible with iOS 12.2, watchOS 5.2, and macOS 10.4.4 and later software (those updates should arrive next week). Price The new AirPods with the standard charging case are priced at the same $159 as the original version. AirPods with Wireless Charging Case cost $40 more at $199. The wireless charging case sold separately is compatible with gen. 1 and 2 AirPods for $79. Orders are open now at Apple’s website with the new products shipping out late March to early April. If you want to pick up a pair of AirPods and don’t mind going for the first-generation, you may be able to score some savings from retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and others. Be sure to keep an eye on our sister-site 9to5Toys to keep up with all the latest deals. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More. Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:<doc-sep>
Finally. Apple's announced the long-awaited 2nd generation AirPods, its completely wireless headphones. Simply referred to as "new AirPods," this second-gen model features faster performance, hands-free Siri, longer talk time and a wireless charging case. Available to order today, the new AirPods start at $159, and move up to $199 if you want to get them with a Qi-based wireless charging case. Existing AirPods owners can upgrade their case, as Apple's selling this new case on its own for $79. MORE: Best Wireless Earbuds 2019: AirPods vs. AirPods Alternatives The new Wireless charging case features an LED light indicator that shows charging status while you're refueling the case, so you know the wireless connection is working properly. Formerly, said LED was on the inside of the case, so now you won't need to flick the lid open to check. If you're buying the new AirPods with the non-wireless charging case, it appears you'll get a charging case that's nearly identical to the previous one (the light may or not may be there), as Apple's press release refers to it as "the standard charging case." That wireless charging case will likely support Apple's delayed AirPower Qi-based charging mat, which is due any day now. Many of these gains come from Apple's new H1 chip, which Apple says is "developed specifically for headphones," for speedier connections when switching between your devices, 50 percent more talk time and for summoning Siri by saying "Hey Siri." This announcement comes on the heels of new iPads and new iMacs, and in advance of Apple's Show Time event where it's expected to show off its video streaming service and its news service.