Headphone jack be gone! iPhone launches mission to kill wires with AirPods
The countless 'leaks' have been right about something - Apple's new iPhones will be without the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack.
Arguably the biggest change for the newest rendition from Apple, the lack of a jack for your headphones means you will have to use new lightning-based headpones (or use a dongle) to physically connect your headphones or use Bluetooth to connect wirelessly.
There has been a flurry of backlash via various Internet channels, as the downsides are obvious. Almost everyone has headphones, speakers and other such gadgets at home and at work that rely on the traditional 3.5mm jack, and the beheading of this port essentially renders these devices unusable, or at the very least forces people to carry around a dongle. And who wants to do that? The name alone would put most people off.
However, Apple assures that the headphone jack has been a bottleneck for innovation for quite some time, and have released the all new AirPods to prove it.
What are AirPods?AirPods are wireless headphones that use advanced technology to reinvent how we listen to music, make phone calls, consume media, play games and interact with Siri. They're simple to use too – just flip open the lid of the charging case and with one tap, they are instantly set up and ready to work with your iPhone and Apple Watch.
According to Apple, they include advanced sensors that know when you're listening and automatically play and pause your music.
"AirPods are the first headphones to deliver a breakthrough wireless audio experience, and with the new Apple W1 chip they deliver innovative features including high quality sound, great battery life and automatic setup," says Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "AirPods are simple and magical to use, with no switches or buttons, automatically connecting to all your Apple devices simply and seamlessly, and letting you access Siri with just a double tap.
Some of the features include being able to pause music by simply removing the AirPods from your ears (or removing one to have a conversation, then resume when you put it back in), access Siri with just a double-tap on your AirPods to control your music, change the volume, check the battery or perform any other Siri task. According to Apple, the AirPods will be able to deliver up to 5 hours of listening time on one charge, while the charging case holds additional charges for a total listening time of 24 hours.
The AirPods will be included with all the new iPhones, along with an adaptor for those who can't bear to be parted with their current headphones - just make sure you don't lost the AirPods as buying them separately will cost NZ$269.
