My AirPods 3 Wish List: Everything I Hope Apple Will Change This Year

Apple may have the new AirPods 3 ready in 2021. After a year of being stuck in my house and trying to work, AirPods have become a handy tool. There are many other excellent Bluetooth earbuds, but AirPods are still impressive instantly and have very good microphones. On top of that, I helped extend the battery life by being able to swap my way from one ear to another once through long meetings.

The second generation AirPods is almost two years old, while AirPods Pro is over a year old, and continued to develop. appeal spatial sound added in 2020, and the very expensive AirPods Max arrived with another proposal (I prefer small earbuds, not large headphones), so what will AirPods 3 bring? And what do I even want? For me, it’s mostly about better connection.

AirPods Pro Lite Buttons Can Move All AirPods to the Pro Appearance

According to the latest reports, third-generation AirPods will look like the pros, minus the active noise cancellation and spatial sound features. This means that they have shorter stems and have replaceable earbuds in different sizes.

I appreciate the AirPod Pro design and its less visible appearance, but I feel mixed feelings about the earplug. The deeper in-ear feel is barred for better noise blocking, but I appreciate the easier and more pass-friendly design of the original for comfortable call monitoring. Maybe Apple will split the difference one way or another.

AirPods Pro Lite can also be more expensive than the second generation AirPods, which is not ideal at all. Maybe they will deliver a better sound or a better battery life to make the price tag worthwhile.

I want AirPods to swap with each other effortlessly

Apple’s latest iOS 14 and Big sur OS updates have helped AirPods connect faster with Apple devices, but I still find that I need to check if AirPods are paired during a Zoom of FaceTime. Sometimes I also encounter bugs that disconnect the AirPods.

I don’t just want to switch to whatever device I use: I want to actively switch while multitasking, or even mixing resources. I look at my phone, laptop, even a TV at the same time. I would like to tap-select to swap, or maybe even use my head orientation as a way for the AirPods to somehow realize which device I am using. Apple’s latest devices have U1 slides which can spatially recognize where other Apple devices are. New AirPods might be able to use it more as well. Keep in mind that even the expensive AirPods Max does not have a U1 chip, so cheaper AirPods do not either … but that’s an interesting thought.

Or I will even have a way to mix resources (an input from my laptop, video from my iPhone). Apple already mixes outdoor noise outside with a sound source via Transparency – can it go any further? Or can Apple apply more intelligent sound analysis of the ambient noise and adjust what you listen to to increase voice and bass or spoken voices?

What about AirPods’ fitness features?

Apple has just launched its own Fitness Plus Workout Enrollment Service, which requires a Apple Watch. AirPods are an important part of the Apple Watch music workout triangle, but so far the built-in faucet controls of the Airpods are quite restrictive and lack their positional awareness.

Read more: One week with Apple Fitness Plus: beat my weight gain before closing

If you could add more shortcuts or tap movements for workouts and activity monitoring, it might be smart, and would it be possible to recognize AirPods when you start running or exercising? The AirPods Pro has gyros and accelerometers that can unlock more movement and position awareness. Next generation AirPods Pro might push more into this area, but hopefully the third generation AirPods will as well.

Apple is unlikely to add real health tracking sensors, such as pedometer or heart rate, to the AirPods. But the Apple Watch and AirPods need to form a more symbiotic pair. Heart rate and fitness readings, maybe even deeper watch control with AirPods commands. However, it should be noted that ears are a pretty good place to measure heart rate.

We’ll probably know more about Airpods 3 later

I do not like to get AirPods now, but keep in mind that new models would only come before the end of 2021. Battery life, sound performance and fitness are a logical place to focus. But I hope they also find a way to carry a better, more reliable connection with everything.