The AirPods were a huge hit for Apple, but now the market has plenty of headphones that are just as good (or better), and Apple’s lead isn’t what it used to be. So Apple needs to evolve the AirPods, and according to a new report, health, not music, will be the next area of innovation.
In the paid section of his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman predicts that AirPods will be upgraded with the “ability to get any kind of auditory data” within the next two years. Gurman cites the Live Listen feature already present in AirPods, which uses the iPhone’s microphone to capture audio which is then transmitted to the listener, but points out that this is not a feature endorsed by the FDA. According to its report, this may change in a future AirPods update.
“I believe that Apple intends to upgrade the AirPods to become a health tool within a year or two, with the ability to obtain any hearing data,” he said. writing. “Given Apple’s goal of making healthcare one of its next big moves, I wouldn’t be surprised if the AirPods end up taking care of it. [Live Listen] works more officially.
Gurman doesn’t specify what other features Apple might implement, or whether the AirPods would be redesigned to support those features. Hearing aids can have features such as directional microphones, speech isolation, natural sound reproduction, and the ability to recognize and read realistically using the user’s own voice.
Apple’s focus on health started with the Apple Watch and it has been a thriving market for the company as its health features are well executed and work seamlessly with the device. So it only makes sense that Apple would follow suit with the AirPods and take the next year or two to make sure the features are executed properly.
