Apple Announces AirPods 2 with Wireless Charging Optional

For those who have been waiting for the second generation AirPods to ship, Apple has announced the new hardware today. Following up on new iPads, iMacs, Apple’s week of hardware refreshes continues today with the new earbuds.

The new AirPods will start at $159 for the standard case and $199 for a case that supports wireless charging. Inside there is a new H1 chip that enables 50% more talk time, hands-free “Hey Siri” but the design remains largely unchanged.

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If you have the first generation AirPods and want to buy a wireless charging case, that will set you back $79.

Love them or hate them, Apple’s AirPods have sold well for the company and the second generation improves on most of the basic issues with the first generation. I would still prefer a style that improves the noise isolation in your ear but improving the battery life is a basic first step that was seriously needed.

The second generation AirPods are available starting today.

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  • TheJoeFin

    Premium Member
    20 March, 2019 - 10:06 am

    <p>Sweet. Apparently this was Apple hardware week.</p>

  • MikeGalos

    20 March, 2019 - 10:28 am

    <p><em>"</em><em style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">improving the battery life is a basic first step that was seriously needed."</em></p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">And maybe still IS seriously needed. You'll note their press release didn't say battery life was improved. They very explicitly stated that "talk time" was improved. That could be something as simple as fixing a bug in the microphone's communications channel that used too much power when talking. It says nothing about listening time or battery usage in general. </span></p>

    • provision l-3

      20 March, 2019 - 11:04 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#414004">In reply to MikeGalos:</a></em></blockquote><p>If only Apple had some sort of online presence where they published specs for their products so we could see what the listening time is for the new AirPods. Ohh wait …. they do and the the battery life has gone from three hours in gen 1 to five hours in gen 2. </p><p><br></p><p>Yeah… I know, actually taking a minute or two to look something up takes all the fun out making up crap to be critical about. </p>

    • nbplopes

      20 March, 2019 - 11:37 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#414004">In reply to MikeGalos:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>You sound desperate. Hanging out with Microsoft much?</p>

    • dontbe evil

      20 March, 2019 - 2:53 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#414004">In reply to MikeGalos:</a></em></blockquote><p>have an upvote … apple butthurt fans are already on the rise</p>

      • nbplopes

        20 March, 2019 - 6:09 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#414087">In reply to dontbe_evil:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>Really?</p><p><br></p><p>"If no OEM stands up to build Windows devices we'll build them. There will be Lumia devices. So I'm not afraid of saying, okay, it's all about the OEMs, or it's all about the ecosystem. It's about Windows. It is about the overall health of Windows and being grounded in any given day's reality, but having ambition of where the market is going versus being bound by current definitions."</p><p><br></p><p>"We are committed to having the phones in these three segments. And I think the operational details will become clear to people as they see it."</p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(224, 224, 224);"><img src="https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.giphy.com%2Fmedia%2FZ9OGuQyrfHAE8%2Fgiphy.gif&amp;f=1&quot; alt="[​IMG]"></span></p><p><br></p><p>"Universal Windows apps are going to be written because you want to have those apps used on the desktop. The reason why anybody would want to write universal apps is not because of our three percent share in phones. It's because a billion consumers are going to have a Start Menu, which is going to have your app. You start the journey there and take them to multiple places. Their app can go to the phone. They can go to HoloLens. They can go to Xbox. You talk to somebody like Airbnb. It might be more attractive, given our three percent share on phone, for them to actually build something for the desktop and for the Xbox."</p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(224, 224, 224);"><img src="https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.giphy.com%2Fmedia%2F1PgPvWLfXGkCY%2Fgiphy.gif&amp;f=1&quot; alt="[​IMG]"></span></p><p><br></p><p>"Because all of this comes down to how are you going to get developers to come to Windows. If you come to Windows, you are going to be on the phone, too. Even if you want to come to Windows because of HoloLens, you want to come to it because of Xbox, you want to come to the desktop, all those get you to the phone."</p><p><br></p><p>"The fundamental truth for developers is they will build if there are users. And in our case the truth is we have users on desktop."</p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(224, 224, 224);"><img src="https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.giphy.com%2Fmedia%2F3oxRmeLK7bjcq0CCCA%2Fgiphy.gif&amp;f=1&quot; alt="[​IMG]"></span></p><p><br></p><p>"So when I think about our Windows Phone, I want it to stand for something like Continuum. When I say, wow, that's an interesting approach where you can have a phone and that same phone, because of our universal platform with Continuum, and can, in fact, be a desktop. That is not something any other phone operating system or device can do. And that's what I want our devices and device innovation to stand for."</p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(224, 224, 224);"><img src="https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.giphy.com%2Fmedia%2FCoDp6NnSmItoY%2F200.gif&amp;f=1&quot; alt="[​IMG]"></span></p><p><br></p><p>Where is Windows Phone Continuum 2.0?</p><p><br></p>

  • Cdorf

    Premium Member
    20 March, 2019 - 11:16 am

    <p>The Samsung ones are really good, and don't look like headphones with the cord cut off</p>

  • chrishilton1

    Premium Member
    20 March, 2019 - 12:32 pm

    <p>Do these work on non Apple devices?</p><p><br></p><p>The Samsung ones look huge in the ear. Does anyone have any other recommendations?</p>

    • SvenJ

      20 March, 2019 - 6:50 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#414047"><em>In reply to chrishilton1:</em></a><em> </em>Yes. You just need to pair them the normal way. Jabra 65t is a good alterative. </blockquote><p><br></p>

  • warren

    20 March, 2019 - 4:32 pm

    <p>I don't remember Apple ever dribbling out bits of hardware news like this, on multiple successive days. Weird tactic. Really not like them.</p>

    • provision l-3

      20 March, 2019 - 4:41 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#414117">In reply to warren:</a></em></blockquote><p>I don't recall this approach either but they have been known too mix things up and try new things. It used to be all products were delivered at an even but they changed that awhile ago and started doing some via press releases. They have more recently released minor updates like these in the days following a major event I'm guessing they are trying it as the build up so that the announcements don't get lost in the noise of the big reveal next week. If nothing the have managed to get a bit of milage in terms of press coverage by doing this. Certainly far more than any of this warrants and I'd imagine there is probably some sort of anticipation for tomorrow. I don't know if that actually equate to anything tangible in terms of sales but they certainly gotten press. </p>

    • curtisspendlove

      20 March, 2019 - 7:18 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#414117">In reply to warren:</a></em></blockquote><p>Pretty sure they are just trying to set “no-hardware” expectations for the event next week. </p>

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