@ismh just dropped this on Twitter with an understated “Whoa.” 
Noise cancelling AirPods? Yes, please!
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Looks like a great upgrade! I have the second generation AirPods and some wired Bose noise cancelling headphones that have served me well over the years. It will be nice to have everything in one package.
I’m planning to pick up the AirPods Pro as early as this week and look forward to putting them through their paces!
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Well this is a dilemma. I have AirPods. I have Noise cancelling headphones, but noise cancelling AirPods might be on my Christmas & Birthday list this year!
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Same. I have AirPods I bought this spring, and Bose QC-35 headphones. I love the Bose, but get tired of my ears being caged for many hours a day.
Free the auricula!
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Going to wait for the reviews and impressions of this. Definitely want them but don’t need them any time soon.
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Want to hear what’s happening around you? Just press and hold the force sensor on the stem to jump between Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode — which lets outside sound in, and allows things to sound and feel natural when you’re talking to people nearby.
The controls are now on the stems (later on Apple’s site it talks about controls other than Transparency)! Finally!
This is also a very nifty and very Apple touch since there are S, M, L ear tips now included:
- The Ear Tip Fit Test helps ensure users get the best audio experience from AirPods Pro by testing the quality of the seal and identifying the best ear tip size for them. After placing AirPods Pro in each ear, advanced algorithms work together with the microphones in each AirPod to measure the sound level in the ear and compare it to what is coming from the speaker driver. In just seconds, the algorithm detects whether the ear tip is the right size and has a good fit, or should be adjusted to create a better seal.
(From the Newsroom post: Apple reveals new AirPods Pro, available October 30 - Apple)
Glad to see that Apple is moving forward with AirPods technology, but I really hope this deeper ear-canal-sealed design doesn’t replace the original. All of the sealed types cause me intolerable pain. Apple’s headphone design was a revelation for me! My first set of AirPods doesn’t hold much of a charge any longer because I use them so much.
With Apple’s emphasis on accessibility, it’s kinda weird to see a product that’s completely physically inaccessible to me.
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Hope there will be setting or an App available with “Restaurant / Bar” mode so I can understand what the person across from me is saying…
For non US dwellers, most restaurants in the US are incredibly noisy.
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There’s a footnote saying that they support “live listen audio” when paired with an iPhone using the latest version of iOS so… sort of? Early versions of that system have reportedly had issues with battery life and with the iPhone picking up contact noise so it doesn’t sound like a great system. It’s certainly a long way from the AirPods being able to do it themselves. We can hope for more.
Just being able to do something about the noise level in restaurants here would be a great start. US restaurants are especially “fun” for people who have age-related hearing discrimination and noise tolerance issues.
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Finally, Apple improved AirPod’s terrible design, but I doubt the sound quality and ANC will be on the same level as the competition (well, ANC sucks on any earbuds). But maybe Apple surprises me 
The “ease of use” with iOS is not enough to justify the price.
Same here for me, in-ear buds cause me major irritation and make getting the Pro models a non-starter. I loved EarPods when they first arrived, and have loved the design as they are in the AirPods now.
I use AirPods every day - ranks up there as one of my most-used Apple products. My only complaint as someone who has been traveling a lot more via airplanes is that they aren’t loud enough on the plane since they are not truly noise isolating and noise cancelling. My BeatsX (a company gift) do a little better for that need, but still not enough. I was planning to get the new Beats Solo Pros this week, but I wasn’t thrilled at spending $300 just for something that I only wore while traveling. I may upgrade from the second-gen AirPods to these instead - as other commenters have noted it would be nice to have it all in one pair of headphones for everything.
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I also cannot use in-ear like these because they cause a huge amount of irritation and I can only keep them in for a few minutes before they hurt.
I really hope they always keep producing the old ones!
The old ones are likely to be discounted in various places so picking up a spare might be worthwhile
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Ordered. And not too soon either. My first gen AirPod batteries are nearly worn out.
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Any info out there around noise isolation for the microphones being improved for calls?
I’m very excited for the AirPod pros. I love my first gen AirPods but need noise cancelling for air travel and noisy areas. I’m also hopeful the pros don’t fall out of my ears quite so easily. I tried the new Bose 700 over the ear wireless noise cancelling headphones and found them to be uncomfortable- a nasty pinching feeling on my ears.
For anyone that purchased the gen 2 AirPods, I purchased these Silicone AirPod covers back in July and have used them everyday since then. They are fantastic. They provide a excellent noice cancellation, increased bass and better overall sound. I find that where before I might have my volume at 70 to 80% with these I have the volume at 40 to 50%. I use a battery/electric lawnmower which is kinda quiet but before I’d pump the volume up to 90% and still hear the mower. With these covers I can keep the volume at 80% and the lawn mower is greatly reduced. It’s still there but much fainter.
They go on fairly easily and have their own little case which I keep with the AirPods. I’m still using the first pair of the 3 that come with purchase. You do have to take them off to put in the AirPod case but the time it takes to remove and put back on is minimal and for me well worth it. I typically put them on twice a day when going for extended 45 minutes walks. It takes 15 seconds to add and remove them.
An added benefit and a big part of why I bought them, was my hope that it would keep them cleaner and free of ear gunk. And it’s worked. Any ear wax ends up in the silicone tip and is easily removed. I see little to no wax getting to the grill of the AirPods.
One thing I’ll add, for the first few days my ears were not happy. They irritated when wearing the AirPods with these covers. But after about a week the discomfort faded and at about the 10 day mark they were just as comfortable as they had been previously. It’s a different feel because now they are snug in my ear but it’s a comfortable snug.
They come in 2 sizes, I bought the small. Around $12.
Some reviews are up;
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I think I like the aesthetics of my Powerbeats Pro more. That said, if these had been an option eight months ago, they’d probably be in my ears instead.