Everyone is excited about the latest iPhone 15, which was launched on September 22.
The latest iPhone offers a sleek new set of features, and with the top-of-the-line iPhone 15 Pro Max on sale for $1,199, it should.
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Some of those new updates include an updated camera (even more powerful), longer battery life, and a new titanium frame. The new phones also include a new USB-C charging port for added convenience and to appease European Union regulators, making it Apple’s property. (AAPL) – Get a free report Lightning charger enthusiasts will have to prolong their upgrade or simply adapt to the times.
But while most people are talking about the latest iPhones, Apple has been quietly updating other beloved tech accessories with less pomp and circumstance.
One of those updates was, of course, the subsequent release of iOS 17, which allows users to update lock screen preferences, leave FaceTime video messages, and add stickers to photos.
But Apple’s beloved AirPod Pros also received an update, and some of the new features can change the way you listen to music (or block out excess noise), if you know where to find them.
Apple updates the AirPods Pro
Although it doesn’t expressly break out AirPod sales, Apple generated $41.1 billion in revenue from its wearables, home and accessories segment in 2022. Given that AirPods are one of its best-selling accessories, if not its best, it’s safe to speculate. . that Apple is putting a lot of time and energy into making the tiny buds the best they can be.
The AirPods Pro did not receive a major update in terms of hardware or aesthetics. Instead, Apple engineers paid more attention to the software side, adding subtle tweaks here and there that should greatly improve the listening experience.
The first update is Adaptive Audio, which is similar to Apple’s Adaptive Transparency feature (which dampens and attenuates background noise), with some improvements.
“Adaptive audio is a little slower over the course of a few seconds, because it has to be a much more methodical process to know what you’re hearing,” said Apple product marketing director Eric Treski. Technological crisis. “We’re moving from adaptive audio to transparency, so to make it less jarring and more comfortable, it’s a lot slower for that reason.”
That happens at different levels, depending on where you are and what you’re listening to. So if you’re listening to a podcast, your music app might indicate this and adjust your audio settings accordingly to maximize the listening experience.
“Of course, your house isn’t always quiet and the streets aren’t always noisy. We decided that instead of relying on a location cue from your phone, AirPods monitor your surroundings in real time and make those decisions intelligently for you. themselves.” said Vice President of Sensing and Connectivity Ron Huang.
It’s a complicated process, but essentially, most of that optimization is based on a lot of data collection.
“We took tens of thousands of hours of different data (different users listening to different content and with different background noises) to really understand the different listening preferences and what the distractors and aggressors are from a noise point of view to really keep the content of course,” Huang said. she said. “We also remember your personal preferences. Given a type of environment, the amount of noise there, the volume at which you normally listen to your content, and we remember it for you. We add it to our machine learning model to make it work even better for you “
And speaking of audio upgrades, the AirPods Pro also got another feature for changing environments: conversational awareness. AirPods will detect when you (the user) are speaking and lower the audio volume so you can have an easier conversation without having to find a pause or change the volume.
Other improvements include the speed at which your iPhone connects to your AirPods when you take a call.
“A phone call is more important than music, so when you answer a phone call, we make sure to step away from the iPhone and connect to your Mac for the conference call, for example,” Huang explained.
