Apple’s AirPods are among its best-selling products, and the company intends to capitalise on this success by adding new functions that go far beyond music playback, such as new sensors for tracking your health and maybe functioning as a hearing aid.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman mentions that Apple is working on bringing new capabilities to AirPods, which could include a new body temperature sensor among other new sensors for hearing aids, in the most recent issue of his newsletter, Power On.
The latest batch of Apple Watch models may record wrist temperatures during sleep, but Apple is working on integrating sensors inside AirPods that can measure body temperature through the ear canal. Apple plans to use the temperature data to detect ailments like colds in the future, even though it is now used for fertility tracking.
In order to test someone’s hearing, the business is also creating a new feature for AirPods that will play a variety of tones and sounds. The purpose of this function is to help users identify hearing issues. As Apple had previously stated with its developers, it might render obsolete current hearing apps like Mimi.
Conversation Boost and Live Listen are examples of hearing aid-like capabilities that Apple has incorporated, but they haven’t yet gotten formal clearance. Apple has also enlisted the aid of engineers from established manufacturers of hearing aids.
The next generation of AirPods may include health-related capabilities in addition to USB-C charging connectors, similar to the iPhones, which are anticipated to transition to USB-C ports this year.
The AirPods Pro might be the first to switch to the other side, but since they were only updated a year ago, don’t anticipate newer models any time soon. Ming-Chi Kuo claims that Apple may instead release a new USB-C cover for AirPods later this year that would be similar to the MagSafe case.
There might be a new version of the least expensive AirPods on the road, as well as a considerably more affordable alternative. Gurman points out that an AirPods Max upgrade is also in the works.
