The next-generation of Apple’s AirPods wireless headphones will feature “health monitoring features,” according to Taiwan’s DigiTimes.
The website doesn’t expand on what said health monitoring features will look like.
However, given recent comments from Tim Cook where the executive said Apple plans to launch new health-related services, adding health-focused features to one of the company’s more popular products seems like an obvious move. I should also mention that it was only after Apple leaned into the health-related features of the Apple Watch that the wearable clicked for a lot of people.
According to DigiTimes, Apple will release the second-generation AirPods sometime in the first half of 2019.
As MacRumorsnotes, DigiTimes doesn’t cite any sources when sharing a release date, which suggests the website is likely referring to earlier reports, including one that came from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. That said, other evidence, including a recent regulatory listing from the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, suggests the new AirPods are on their way to release.
Speaking of Kuo. According to the analyst, Apple is also concurrently working on a third-generation pair of AirPods. Set to come sometime in 2020, the third-generation AirPods reportedly feature a new water-resistant design that will protect the accessory from “splashes of water and rain.”
