APPLE UNVEILS NEW AIRPODS AND $4.99 SIRI-ONLY MUSIC PLAN

Tue 19 October 2021:

Apple Inc. updated its audio lineup with the first update of the entry-level AirPods since 2019, a new $4.99 music plan that only works with Siri, and new color options for its HomePod tiny speaker.

The new products were revealed Monday at a presentation named “Unleashed,” which also featured the latest Macs and chips. The new AirPods are the third version of the original AirPods, and they resemble the AirPods Pro, which was released in 2019.

AirPods have swiftly established themselves as one of Apple’s most popular and crucial accessory lines. Since its launch in 2016, Apple has dominated the wireless earbud market, spurring competition from Samsung Electronics Co., Amazon.com Inc., and Alphabet Inc.’s Google. Last year, Apple introduced the AirPods, a line of high-end headphones.

The current AirPods model has a new audio driver and is water resistant, but it lacks noise cancellation and other capabilities included in the more expensive model. It will cost $179. Apple intends to keep the older $129 entry-level AirPods on the market.

The new model also sports a revised casing with built-in MagSafe wireless charging. Previously, such feature required a $40 upgrade. It also has the same universal fit as the original AirPods and doesn’t require the AirPods Pro’s unique ear tips. The battery life has also been increased to six hours.

Apple started collecting orders for the new AirPods on Monday, and they’ll be available on October 26.

Alongside the new AirPods, Apple announced deeper Siri integration for Apple Music. A new feature includes playlists that are optimized for usage via Siri, Apple’s voice assistant. As part of that, the company launched a new $4.99-per-month Apple Music plan that only works through Siri. That’s half the price of the standard $9.99 a month subscription.

Apple Music is also adding hundreds of new mood and activity playlists created by Apple Music’s editorial experts that are fully optimized just for voice. Subscribers can ask Siri to “Play the dinner party playlist,” “Play something chill,” or even “Play more like this” for a truly personalized music experience.

“Apple Music and Siri are natural partners and already work seamlessly together,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats. “With Siri actively used on hundreds of millions of devices worldwide, we are thrilled to add this new plan that delivers an effortless music experience just by using your voice and makes Apple Music accessible to even more people around the world.”

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