Apple’s iPhone 12 event might include an AirPods Studio ad after all

Apple’s September event is in the rearview mirror, and while we saw two new Apple Watches and iPads, no iPhone 12s were announced at the virtual event. Now Apple to host another virtual event on October 13 (here it is how to watch live broadcast), where the iPhone 12 will likely be unveiled. One long-rumored device that could also make its debut soon is the AirPods Studio, a pair of on-ear headphones that have been hinted at for quite some time. (Exist some other Apple announcements we’re still waiting, including AirTags, which could also debut in October alongside the long-awaited iPhone 12 launch.) Apple also recently removed rival headphones and wireless speakers from its stores., which seems like a good sign that a headphone-related announcement is imminent.

Like other high-end earbuds and AirPods Pro, AirPods Studio earbuds likely have noise cancellation and a transparency mode that can channel external sounds for personal safety and awareness of your surroundings. Although Apple owns Beats and has several on-ear headphones like the Solo Pro already available, there has been speculation about a pair under the Apple brand since early 2018.

Considering the success of AirPods in the wireless headphone market, Apple may look to bring all of its audio gear under one umbrella. Here’s everything we’ve heard about AirPods Studio so far.

read more: All the rumors about the price of the iPhone 12 and its design and color options

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Rumors about AirPods Studio headphones are getting louder

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Mysterious headset appears in iOS 14

We have some indication of what AirPods Studio would look like, at least in terms of what its icon looks like on iOS, when 9to5Mac first saw it in iOS 14 code in May. The image shows a standard over-ear headset with padded cups and a white or gray color, although this could be a variation for the light and dark modes on iOS.

This isn’t the first time a product glyph or image has appeared in software prior to an official release – the AirPods Pro, PowerBeats Pro, and PowerBeats 4 were all seen in glyph form before they were announced.

An earlier Bloomberg report also reported that Apple was working on several versions of over-ear headphones, including a fitness-oriented model and one with premium leather finishes. It was speculated that the headphones may also have interchangeable components, such as being able to change the headphones. You can already customize products like the Apple Watch with a wide variety of finishes, colors, and metal bands, so it’s no wonder Apple can do something similar with other wearable devices like headphones.

An image and video later appeared online by a Twitter user known as @choco_bit, who claims to show the so-called Sport variant of the AirPods Pro. The images are of headphones with two square cups and a headband that appears to be padded with something similar to the HomePod mesh. The video shows what a case for the headphones could be.

Apple leaker Jon Prosser also followed up with the following render, which looks like the models shown above.

Prosser before said the AirPods Studio would start at $ 349, putting them in the same ballpark as premium headphones like the Bose 700 and Sony WH-1000XM4.

AirPods Studio could have unique audio tools and sensors

The most intriguing thing about the AirPods Studio is the rumors about what’s inside. According to that same 9to5Mac report, they may have a sensor to detect whether the headphones are on your head or resting on your neck, allowing them to play and pause music accordingly. This is similar to AirPods, which have sensors that detect when you remove one from your ear.

Unlike other on-ear headphones, the AirPods Studio may not have a right or wrong way to use them. They may be able to automatically detect how you put the headphones on and adjust the left and right channels accordingly.

AirPods Pro have an adaptive equalizer that changes the sound automatically, depending on variables such as the shape of the ear. But they don’t offer a user adjustable EQ unless you change the settings in an app like Apple Music or Spotify. If AirPods Studio wants to seriously compete with brands like Bose and Sony, Apple probably needs to give us a dedicated equalizer to adjust sound settings in AirPods Studio.

As for battery life, we don’t yet have details of how long the AirPods Studio could last. But the Beats Solo Pro, which is an Apple-owned headphone that costs $ 300 (£ 270, AU $ 429), offers 22 hours of listening time with active noise cancellation (or up to 40 without).

Read more: Apple’s spatial audio feature should concern Bose and Sony

It’s safe to assume that AirPods Studio would have some kind of touchpad or a way to control playback without reaching for your phone or using the voice assistant. This would be similar to regular AirPods that have touch controls or stem controls in the case of AirPods Pro.

AirPods Studio could use Apple’s U1 chip

Since it made its debut in the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro, Apple’s U1 or ultra-wideband chip has gone unnoticed. At the moment it is used for more accurate AirDrop transfers, but its the potential goes far beyond simple file sharing. The other potential for the U1 is its precise location tracking and a Twitter user known as @ L0vetodream posted that AirPods Studio could use this chip.

This chip could help the headphones know how to route the audio according to how they are used, or simply identify the headphones more precisely in the Find My app.

Will the Beats name fade away? Will Apple keep AirPods and Beats separate?

That’s a great question that we don’t know the answer to yet. Apple has always kept the Beats headphones fairly separate from the AirPods, even though they share some of the same internals. The Solo Pro released in 2019, for example, has active noise cancellation, transparency mode, and the same chip that’s in the AirPods for quick connections to Apple devices. They also come with voice-activated Hey Siri.

One sign that the Beats Solo Pro could be on the verge of disappearing is that they just received a substantial $ 100 price cut from retailers including Amazon and Best Buy.