When Apple launched its first pair of completely wireless earbuds, AirPods, in September 2016, they were mocked in late-night TV spoofs and across the Twittersphere. Questions about the devices ranged from the practical (would these things really stay in your ears?) to the aesthetically-minded (why did they look like the top of an electric toothbrush?).
Back then, the pain of losing the headphone jack was still fresh. In the time since, Apple has quickly proved its early haters wrong. Not only are people buying AirPods in droves (according to research firm NPD, AirPods led to 85% of all completely wireless headphone sales as of August 2017), they really like using them, too. For those who are still concerned about AirPods staying in their ears, multiple fit hacks and accessories are available to ease these concerns.
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Given their success, it isn't surprising to hear that Apple is working on new iterations of AirPods. According to a report from Bloomberg, two AirPod 2.0 models are on the way, one of which may arrive as early as this year, with the other coming in 2019. The rumored new features on both models are welcome, though not exactly surprising.
AirPods already have Siri integrated, but this year's new pair may enable users to interact with Siri using the usual voice command ("Hey, Siri") as opposed to the double-tap that's currently required. They may also have better Bluetooth connectivity thanks to an upgraded chip. Bloomberg says the second model will be water-resistant (note: not waterproof), meaning AirPods will be fine if a little water spills on them, but shouldn't be dropped in the bathtub or pool.
Apple's most recent entrance onto the music listening scene was HomePod, a smart speaker that brought big sound but left much to be desired when it came to using Siri.