According to a new article posted by Nick Hunn, Apple’s future AirPods may last several days on a single charge because of the Bluetooth 5.0 standard.
The Bluetooth 5.0 standard claims to quadruple the range, double the speed of low energy connections, and consume a lot less power. The change could bring much improved battery life for wireless headphones, like Apple’s AirPods, in addition to a variety of Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
The new standard also brings improvements to the audio stack as well, giving the user the ability to stream audio to multiple Bluetooth LE devices at the same time. This could make it a lot easier to create a multi-room audio system using only the Bluetooth standard.
“When Chipworks take an Airpod or Solo 3 to pieces and unpot the W1, I expect we will see that it’s a multichip module. The main chip will be a Bluetooth dual mode one designed to be Bluetooth 5 compatible, but the DSP and micro are likely to be separate dies. If Apple is using this as a test vehicle for incorporation into future processors, then we may find 802.11 there as well. If that’s the case, we can be pretty sure what the wireless roadmap is.”
We have to remember that streaming audio over Bluetooth will likely sound worse than a Wi-Fi based system, like Sonos. However, the new technology would allow companies to build speakers and headphones that are more portable and have a longer-lasting battery life.
The first-generation of Apple’s AirPods launch later this month.
[via App Advice]
