Apple rumoured to be readying high-end over-ear headphones

Will the AirPods be joined by an over-ear option?

Audio seems to be the next focus for Apple, if the latest rumour is to be believed. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims Apple plans to release over-the-ear headphones this year. In an investors’ note spotted by Apple Insider, Kuo said the company will release a new premium pair of headphones. It seems like a natural transition for Apple with the recent launch of the HomePod and the rumoured second iteration of the AirPods, following the success of the first versions. The company also has Beats branding under its belt but it’s possible Apple might enter the high-end headphone market using its own branding. And yes, we expect it to be quite pricey—if they do decide to pursue this. Apple hasn’t released a comment on the report yet.

Source: CNET

New Apple AirPods might launch ‘as soon as this year’

Review: Apple AirPods

The next iteration of the Apple AirPods might come sooner than we think. A new report from Bloomberg claims the company might release the next version of these in-ear wireless headphones “as soon as this year.” The next AirPods will reportedly have upgraded wireless chip designed by Apple to keep its Bluetooth connection. This version will also supposedly be able to rouse Siri just by saying the keywords “Hey, Siri.” You no longer need to physically tap on the AirPods to do so.

On top of this, a water-resistant version might come out as early as 2019. But like the new iPhones, these won’t be built for complete submersion. Instead they’ll be able to handle splashes of water and rain. We might also expect a wireless AirPods charging case soon, as Apple has previously said.

Source: CNET

Apple reportedly buying Shazam, deal might be announced on December 11

Apple is supposedly finalizing a deal with the company behind the music recognition app Shazam to buy the latter for a rumoured amount of US$401 million. The deal will reportedly be finalized over the weekend with the deal being officially announced on December 11, Monday. Shazam currently already integrates with Apple’s Siri and Apple Music—on top of working with Spotify and Snapchat as well. Both companies haven’t commented on the report. What this potential deal could mean to the other services Shazam is available on we can’t say. For now, we just have to wait for confirmation that this deal pushed through.

Source: NME

Apple might get rid of Touch ID for ‘iPhone 8’

The next-generation Apple iPhone might be getting rid of a key feature: Touch ID sensor. GSMArena shows leaks of what is supposedly a complete iPhone 8 display assembly. It can’t be said from the image if this will be an OLED display or if it will have an edge-to-edge design but it does check out on some other rumours about the device. The two new circular cutouts at the upper left side of the phone are said to be for the iris scanner. The bigger circular cutout on the right is also for the scanner, while the smaller hole one the right is for the FaceTime camera.

The Touch ID sensor, though, isn't visible on the panel. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple is ditching the embedded sensor completely. And Apple is said to be using the iris scanner in its place. Some other rumours have previously said that Apple was considering putting Touch ID underneath the glass, among other methods to retain the sensor. But as, Apple Insider reports, a recent HomePod firmware update seems to back Kuo's claims. There are lines of code linked to the phone's “FaceDetect” software, which is referred to as “Pearl ID” in the update. It shows tie-ins with Apple Pay authentication. If there is some veracity to these rumours, we can't say yet what biometric security Apple plans to use for the next iPhone and how secure that will be. With the new device tipped to come out next month, we might not have to wait too long.