Apple's wireless headphones were introduced on September 7, 2016 and have been on sale since December 2016. The AirPods are still very popular today.
According to a new report from the news channel Bloomberg, Amazon plans to launch its own AirPods with Alexa integration this year. The Alexa earphones are said to be one of the biggest projects for the online mail order company. According to Bloomberg, the focus is on sound quality - this should be significantly better than the AirPods. This would also be a big step forward in terms of Alexa mobility. It remains unclear whether Amazon's earphones will really be wireless. Bloomberg claims that the earphones are similar to the AirPods in terms of design and functionality. The first test versions are said to be available in black and gray. According to the report, the AirPods competitors also have "physical gesture control" such as tapping to answer calls and switch between songs.
They will also have their own charging case, just like the AirPods. Because the earphones depend on a connection to the smartphone, Alexa integration is said to be particularly tricky.
AirPods 3 in development
Bloomberg does not fail to mention the third generation of AirPods. The news channel claims that Apple is already working on the AirPods 3 – the focus is supposed to be on noise cancellation and waterproofing. Similar reports were already made in 2018 – according to this, the AirPods 2 have such improvements. Amazon's Alexa plugs will be released in the second half of 2019 - according to Bloomberg. Whether the product will actually become a competitor to the AirPods remains to be seen.
To the Media Markt special offer
The largest German electronics chain Media Markt is announcing an Apple promotion to mark the 40th anniversary with the slogan "Apple at great prices". The products include several MacBook Pro, iPad and iPhone models. The HomePod, Apple Watch and an Apple TV are also included. The promotion is valid from April 3rd to April 8th inclusive.