Next-Generation AirPods Might Just Replace Hearing Aids

One of the best features of Apple AirPods Pro is the noise-canceling technology that a lot of consumers really love. But, tech writers believe that the current Apple earbud is just the commencement of a revolutionary accessory that Apple plans to release in the future. According to a new thought piece, the features of the current Airpods Pro model is already hinting about the Cupertino-based tech giant’s future in augmented reality.

Jason Snell of MacWorld recently shares in his article several possibilities future Apple AirPods Pro might offer. The revolutionary Apple earbuds could feature a wealth of smart features that could blur the lines between hearing aids and in-ear headsets, suggests Snell. The current Apple AirPods Pro model is already offering a whole new level of listening experience.

However, according to Snell, future AirPods Pro models could feature more sophisticated sound processing technology. He cites the three modes currently features by Apple’s latest earbuds; normal, noise-canceling, and transparency modes. The transparency mode is quite impressive, according to Snell, because of what it does to the sound.

This Apple AirPods Pro mode delivers the sound from an external mic and layers it on whatever the user is listening to. In other words, the user artificially hears the outside world with surprisingly different sounds. The writer believes that Apple appears to be slightly adjusting the sound from the outside world.

Additionally, there is the Smart Transparency mode that removes unchanging background noise, as well as eliminates room echoes to produce a much more transparent sound than it might be if unfiltered. The necessary algorithms are already there on the current AirPods Pro model that enables it to measure the reflectivity of the room and cancels echoes; Snell points out. It is just a matter of developing more powerful hardware to process all these data in real-time, the writer adds.

Smart hearing aids are already doing this, and should Apple go the distance, it might blur the line between earbuds and hearing aids.