Apple is planning to release higher-end AirPods, studio-quality over-the-ear headphones, and a new HomePod smart speaker in 2019.
The new AirPods will be noise canceling and water resistant enough to combat rain and perspiration, sources familiar with the products told Bloomberg on Monday. Apple is also looking to increase the distance that AirPods can function away from an iPhone or iPad, the news service reported.
The tech giant also plans on releasing high-end, over-the-ear headphones in 2019 that will be competitive with models from Bose and Sennheiser, according to the report. The new headphones will be a pricier alternative to Apple’s Beats line, which the company purchased for $3 billion in 2014.
There were few details on a new version of Apple’s HomePod, a smart speaker created to compete with Google Home and Amazon Echo, but Bloomberg said that the company may be switching production away from Inventec.
Apple is expected to be working on debuting a wireless charging case for the AirPods that will be compatible with the company’s AirPower wireless charger, which Apple has noticeably avoided discussing since it announced work on product in 2017. The AirPower will use multiple charging sensors to charge up to three devices simultaneously and will include a custom Apple chip running a barebones version of the iOS mobile operating system, allowing for on-device power management.
