The wireless earbuds have been a hit since their release last year, and, like the iPhone, Apple is planning on releasing regular updates to them on an annual basis, reports Bloomberg. The site’s sources say Apple is currently working on the next two models, to be released in 2018 and 2019. It describes the upcoming 2018 model of AirPods as featuring improvements to how users communicate with Siri:
The model coming as early as this year will let people summon Apple’s Siri digital assistant without physically tapping the headphones by saying “Hey Siri.” The function will work similarly to how a user activates Siri on an iPhone or a HomePod speaker hands-free. The headphones, internally known as B288, will include an upgraded Apple-designed wireless chip for managing Bluetooth connections. The first AirPods include a chip known as the W1, and Apple released the W2 with the Apple Watch last year.
As for the 2019 model, Bloomberg says the big feature of that will be water resistance so the AirPods can survive splashes of water and rain. Bloomberg‘s sources do not believe that the 2019 AirPods will be submergible in water, however.
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