The AirPods have been with us for slightly over a month, but as it appears, the second generation may come together with the new iPhone 8. AirPods are innovative, and Apple designed these perfectly, but some of the aspects need to be upgraded when the next ones arrive at the market. Some of the best characteristics of these are that they are smooth, fast, provide a good sound quality and they can be easily connected to the W1 chip. Despite these good qualities what upgrades could come in future?
Upgraded and Offline Siri
The upgraded Siri is what we will probably see, and there are more and more rumors every day about Apple’s decision to launch an enhanced Siri together with the iPhone 8. What most of the AirPods users agree upon is that the earphones need an offline mode as soon as possible.
Some of the things Apple will upgrade are accuracy, speed, comprehension and third-party app integration, but besides that, adding offline functionality would be a spot on. The Siri needs an internet connection, and it is the only option for volume and media control, and the addition of offline support for AirPods would be well-received.
Physical Buttons and Media Controls
The people were asked what features the users want the most for their next AirPods and most of them said physical buttons and media controls. This is connected with the Siri improvements mentioned above while most people just want expanded media controls. However, adding physical button is probably not going to happen, and we can see some robust touch gestures on the products of Bragi and Samsung.
For example, the headphones from Bragi have three physical buttons with numerous functions such as controlling volume, changing tracks, play/pause and answering and ending calls. Seeing physical buttons on minimalist AirPods would require a complete change in design. What Apple can do is expand the AirPods tap feature with the new software and thus improve the controls. Samsung’s tap functionality on the Gear IconX earphones is a great example, but this is familiar to Apple, as they continue to introduce new touch gestures for its trackpads and iOS devices.
Apple AirPods Price
In order to draw more customers, the next AirPods need to cost less than $159, which is the current price. The number one reason why people didn’t switch to cord-free earphones is that they are too expensive. The perfect price of next AirPods would be $99, and with that reduction, a lot more would purchase the new earbuds. There are too many alternatives at the moment, and people would rarely buy the $159 AirPods when they can find rivals at a much lower price.
Fit
The AirPods are not an in-ear fit, and they are perhaps the only ones in the market with this ‘quality.’ The rivals usually produce the earphones in several sizes, but the AirPods come in one size only. The small majority claims that the AirPods stay in the ear, but the others are not satisfied with the size. The third-party options will get the job done, but Cupertino tech giant needs a better solution, and that’s why we would like to see the new model in different sizes. Perhaps, they could insert a matte rubber outer which would improve the grip.
AirPods Colors
The ongoing AirPods come in one color only, and it would be great if the future gadgets were available in at least two color options. After the company’s official announcement in September, designer Martin Hajek asked the question why Apple didn’t produce gloss black AirPods. Note that Apple has always been providing more options, between which people can choose one, according to their own liking. They offer a lot of choices when it comes to Apple Watch or the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, so we expect new colors for the next AirPods as well.
Fitness and Storage
Both Gear IconX and Bragi’s Dash earphones come with 4GB of onboard storage for music and sensors for tracking steps, heart rate, and other data. It is hard to tell whether Apple will add some of these features into their next AirPods. Some of the reasons why they will not decide to add these features are price, battery life, and form factor.
What would you like to see on the new AirPods?
