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nighthawk67

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 26, 2016
138
188
Cincinnati, OH
Does anyone have an educated guess of when/if the AirPods will receive an update anytime soon? And what would you guess the odds are they come in black?
 

C5.4

macrumors member
Sep 22, 2016
41
27
I don't imagine there will be an update anytime soon, 2+ years at least. Maybe apple releases a product red version next year like they do with many of their other accessories. That's just a guess though.
 

Ralfi

macrumors 601
Dec 22, 2016
4,373
3,101
Australia
I really wanted black ones too. To match my phone.....& seperate myself from the Apple extremists.

In the end I stopped caring, & lost patience. I had many uses for them & their practicality & the timing was perfect, so I now find myself enjoying them.

If I'd just recently purchased another set of Bluetooth earphones I'd be cursing, but I'm glad Airpods are my first foray into a truly wireless world.

Don't expect a hardware update any time soon, as these are very likely to be software updated for a while yet..
 

edlex

macrumors 68020
Apr 14, 2010
2,295
1,474
Miami
With BT5 launching in 2017 I would guess we're going to see new BT5 airpods with the new BT5 capable iPhone 7S.
 

44267547

Cancelled
Jul 12, 2016
37,642
42,494
Does anyone have an educated guess of when/if the AirPods will receive an update anytime soon? And what would you guess the odds are they come in black?

Not any time soon. Black could launch perhaps at or around the September 2017 Keynote.
 
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MICHAELSD

macrumors 603
Jul 13, 2008
5,481
3,493
NJ
Anytime soon? September the earliest, but I'd bet on a 2-3 year upgrade cycle.

I think within a decade these will be bundled with every iPhone if they don't decide to stop bundling headphones when they inevitably get rid of all the ports.
 

serkan

macrumors 6502
May 14, 2012
427
69
Menlo Park,California
I dont see an update on the color anytime because white earphones is an Apple signature. There are even some research paper written on the effects and how it changed the market. Also, look at the old iPod commercials.

It would be like changing iPhone name to something else if they make another color earphones.

Also, they have bought Beats where they can enjoy different colors/design implemantations.
 
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nighthawk67

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 26, 2016
138
188
Cincinnati, OH
I dont see an update on the color anytime because white earphones is an Apple signature. There are even some research paper written on the effects and how it changed the market. Also, look at the old iPod commercials.

It would be like changing iPhone name to something else if they make another color earphones.

Also, they have bought Beats where they can enjoy different colors/design implemantations.
This is a very good point, with the hopelessness for black I think I will put my order in now for some white ones! Now to other threads to find who is shipping them the fastest! :D
 
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The Game 161

macrumors Nehalem
Dec 15, 2010
30,965
20,163
UK
might get a firmware update in a few months i guess but can't imagine being anything major.
 

bigjnyc

macrumors G3
Apr 10, 2008
8,281
7,611
If I had to guess I would say BT5 in sep/Oct 2017 but no major re-design until 2018 perhaps. I was going to say maybe a color change in 2017 as well but @serkan kind of makes a good point.
 
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edlex

macrumors 68020
Apr 14, 2010
2,295
1,474
Miami
I thought/think this, but can't help but think it's too soon for a hardware update.

Well the basic design should stay identical just the radio would be upgraded. If they are upgrading the iPhone to BT5 makes sense they would offer airpods to match.
 

MrXiro

macrumors 68040
Nov 2, 2007
3,850
599
Los Angeles
Does anyone have an educated guess of when/if the AirPods will receive an update anytime soon? And what would you guess the odds are they come in black?

With the current laissez faire attitude coming from Apple these days I wouldn't be surprised if they left the Airpods as is until 2020 when they HAVE to be updated to keep up to snuff with the competition. And since they're not licensing the W1 chip out I don't expect them to do much updating to it either. While I'm sure the markup for the Airpods could be up to 3X the cost to build they will probably milk this for a while... and move to giving them away free with iPhones when they are no longer "profitable" as they currently are while they are white hot.

You have to remember the Airpods are an accessory and the accessory industry is secondary to Apple. They make them but they don't go out of their way to push or update them if they don't have to... look at the Smart Cover for iPads. It's only been visually updated twice and the most recent update only moved the magnets to make room for the Smart Connector which literally has 1 official Apple Accessory each made for it on two iPad Pro models.
 

Phisherman81

macrumors 6502
Mar 26, 2010
281
76
If these were on the site's buyer's guide, I bet they'd be a buy for a long time. I don't think they'll be updated for a long while... couple years maybe?
 

MrXiro

macrumors 68040
Nov 2, 2007
3,850
599
Los Angeles
I also expect Apple to make an In Ear version of the Airpods before they make a successor. Probably around the time they start providing Airpods as a pack in with iPhones.
 

serkan

macrumors 6502
May 14, 2012
427
69
Menlo Park,California
This is a very good point, with the hopelessness for black I think I will put my order in now for some white ones! Now to other threads to find who is shipping them the fastest! :D

Your welcome :) I have ordered mine from Apple.com but it seems like people are talking about BB ships faster these days. Maybe, if eneough people cancel and move to BB, we could get lucky :D
 

nighthawk67

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 26, 2016
138
188
Cincinnati, OH
Your welcome :) I have ordered mine from Apple.com but it seems like people are talking about BB ships faster these days. Maybe, if eneough people cancel and move to BB, we could get lucky :D
Try through AT&T right now! I was given an estimate as soon as this Friday!
 

merlenko

macrumors newbie
May 25, 2017
1
0
I ordered a set of AirPods when they came out and went through the forever wait. Left em at a bar last week. STUPID ME. Ordered another pair thru Apple. Cost $170+. SIX week wait. Looked on eBay, found a brand new, unopened set for $199. Cancelled Apple or and got the eBay pair two days later for a little under $30 more than Apple. $30 vs 6 weeks. I'll go with that......
 

RadioGaGa1984

Suspended
May 23, 2015
1,279
1,447
I think 24 month update is expected. I hope they do come out with an in ear. I don't expect these to ever just be included with the iPhone, Apple will just stop bundling EarPods all together.
 

Mac 128

macrumors 603
Apr 16, 2015
5,360
2,930
Well the basic design should stay identical just the radio would be upgraded. If they are upgrading the iPhone to BT5 makes sense they would offer airpods to match.

I hope they continue to tinker with the design. I'd like to see a little more ergonomic design. Now that I'm seeing more and more of these in the wild, I see what the problem is that sometimes warrants the criticism of their looks. On some heads, the shape of the ear causes them to jut outward, like little wings. On the old EarPods, the wires pulled them downward and inward, so they didn't do that. Had Apple designed these from the ground up, they might have accounted for that by curving the stem ergonomically inward, or otherwise made changes that improved their looks regardless of head or ear shape. I also expect that Apples goal is to eliminate the stems such that they don't need to worry about that kind of thing at all. The ultimate goal would be to compact them so much, that the observer does not know a user is wearing them at all.
 
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