Apple prepping wireless earbuds under the Beats name?

If you've been following all of the current rumors about the Apple iPhone 7, you know that it seems quite possible that the handset will not come with a 3.5mm earphone jack. So what can you do if you want some privacy while listening to some tunes, or streaming audio? For one thing, there are already a few headsets announced that connect to the phone's Lightning port. The Lighting port has been available for headphone connections since 2014.

Apple is also believed to be working on another solution. A report published today states that the company is developing a set of wireless earbuds that will be produced under the Beats name. The accessory is expected to be offered alongside the Apple iPhone 7 and the Apple iPhone 7 Plus, and could launch this fall. The earbuds will be completely free of wires, even between the left and right ear pieces. The product could be called Apple AirPods, a name that Apple has already registered.

Speculation has Apple including a noise-cancelling microphone system with the earbuds, which would allow the user to communicate with Siri and make and take phone calls. The earbuds could charge when placed in their carrying case. Despite what appears to be a simple way to keep the earbuds powered up all day, today's report says that Apple might delay the release of the accessory in order to deal with battery issues.

By removing the 3.5mm earphone jack, Apple hopes to make the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus waterproof. The move could also lead to a thinner design and allow for the placement inside the phones of a larger capacity battery.

source: 9to5Mac