New AirPods bring wireless charging and built-in voice support for Siri

In a surprise move, Apple has announced AirPods 2 bringing new capabilities that fans have been waiting for.

Apple drops AirPods 2, with wireless charging case.

Apple has announced a long-awaited second version of its popular AirPods, bringing the option of wireless charging.

AirPods 2 also come with built-in support for the company’s AI assistant Siri, enabling voice control of the earbuds. This will make it easier to change songs, make a call, adjust the volume or get directions simply by saying, “Hey Siri.”

The wireless earbuds are one of the company’s most popular products among Apple customers and the second generation promises more talk time per charge.

They look exactly the same as the first generation, but the latest version is powered by a new H1 chip that promises better battery life, faster connection times and performance efficiencies, Apple says.

AirPods 2 come with either a standard charging case or a new wireless charging case, a feature many Apple fans have been waiting for.

The new AirPods look the same. How is anyone at Starbucks supposed to know I’m better than them and their old AirPods?

— Creative Rants (@Creative_Rants) March 20, 2019

“AirPods delivered a magical wireless experience and have become one of the most beloved products we’ve ever made,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.

“The world’s best wireless headphones just got even better with the new AirPods. They are powered by the new Apple-designed H1 chip which brings an extra hour of talk time, faster connections, hands-free ‘Hey Siri’ and the convenience of a new wireless battery case.”

The new AirPods feature the convenience of “Hey Siri” making it easier to change songs, make a call, adjust the volume or get directions.

The new AirPods are available in the Australian online Apple store starting today and will appear in stores next week.

The new AirPods will retail for $249 but if you want to spring for the wireless charging case, it will cost you $319 in total.

The announcement comes after Apple dropped two new iPads earlier this week, including new iPad Air and the first upgrade to the iPad Mini in three years.

The tech giant also announced a major performance boost to its iMac computer range this week. With updated processors across the line, customers will experience faster performance for a wide range of everyday computing tasks, from editing photos to playing demanding games, composing music or even creating a feature film, Apple said.

It seems Apple is getting all the hardware updates out of the way before its big event next week where it’s expected to reveal plans to take on the video streaming world.