It’s a scenario that has played out countless times before; Apple unveils a product that gets mocked at first glance before going on to become incredibly popular. Most famously, we saw this play out when Apple introduced the original iPod back in 2001. More recently, you may recall that Apple’s AirPods were endlessly mocked when initially introduced alongside the iPhone X back in September of 2016.
Flash forward to 2019 and AirPods are immensely popular. These days, it’s hard to walk anywhere and not see people with AirPods engaging in all sorts of activities, from studying in coffee shops to running. And seeing as how the current incarnation of AirPods are now more than two years old, there have been a lot of rumblings regarding Apple’s plan to release AirPods 2 later this year. We’ll get to the rumored release date in a bit, but for now, the latest AirPods 2 rumor (via Max Weinbach) centers on some intriguing wireless charging news.
“AirPods wireless charging will happen,” Weinbach notes. “It will be VERY fast (0-100 in 15 minutes.) That speed is for the AirPods AND the case. It will probably use Qi charging.”
“There will be a downside though,” Weinbach adds, “the case will be bigger in one direction and heavier.”
Intriguing stuff, though that’s certainly not the only AirPods 2 rumor making the rounds these days.
About two weeks ago, a rumor surfaced claiming that AirPods 2 will be available in a black color option and will feature a new exterior coating designed to prevent AirPods from slipping out. Other AirPods 2 features that have been making the rounds include a noise cancellation feature, support for “Hey Siri” functionality, and improved water resistance.
As far as a release date is concerned, we’ve seen conflicting reports, with some claiming that we won’t see AirPods 2 until the second half the year. The latest rumor (via Applesfera) claims that Apple will introduce its next-gen AirPods at its upcoming March 25th event before hitting store shelves on March 29th. Admittedly, this rumor sounds a little too good to be true, but hopefully Apple has a few surprises for us come March 25.
