Apple to introduce premium 'AirPods' with custom Bluetooth Chip

Apple will be introducing a new pair of wireless earbuds according to KGI securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo further confirms the absence of headphone jack in the soon to be announced Apple iPhone 7. The move to remove the headphone jack will likely increase the water resistance of the latest flagship by the company. The move to introduce wireless earphones is in line with the hardware design choices to remove the headphone jack, as well as the previous rumours of Apple working on its own Bluetooth headphones as reported by MacRumors.com. Apple is also working on a custom Bluetooth chip that will help the company to reduce the power drawn in the Bluetooth connection, in turn improving the battery performance of the device as well as the Bluetooth headphones. The chip can find its way inside the wireless earbuds, which will look like Bragi Dash-style Bluetooth earbuds without any wires. Kuo further claims that Apple will be selling these Bluetooth headphones, ‘AirPods’ to target the high-end market, **alongside Beats headphones** to target the mid-range market. The prices are not clear for both the accessories. Kuo predicts that Apple will not be bundling the Bluetooth headphones with the iPhone 7 to increase the profit margins. Instead, the company will likely **bundle Lightning-based EarPods** with the device. While everything is a speculation at the time of writing and given the lack of additional rumors and leaks around “AirPods,” it might be argued that the device may not be ready for launch. But everything will be cleared out at the Apple iPhone launch event tonight.