By Jason Epstein
Initial details on the Apple’s iPhone 5 EarPods were recently leaked, hinting at improved audio capabilities and boy was it music to our ears. We touched on this recently and are still looking forward to ripping open a package and popping in a pair of the brand new EarPods to try them out, but there’s a lot more in store for the audio and music enthusiasts who are looking to get their hands on the new device. TechCrunch reports that the new ‘pods provide richer sound, better stereo effects, improved bass performance and a snugger fit. They also have an updated microphone which was designed with the inner-ear canal in mind after Apple took 3D scans of hundreds of ears.
The iPhone 5′s audio system has been overhauled in just about every way. There are three microphones in total; one in front, one in back and one on the bottom, lending better voice clarity to phone calls. The device’s speakers are also able to produce clearer sound, which is achieved through the inclusion of additional magnetic transducers (speakers that convert energy into sound). In addition, speakers now include noise-canceling functionality for audio-out and ‘WideBand’ HD-audio which covers more of the audio frequency spectrum to improve clarity during phone calls.
As we’d previously speculated, Apple’s widely used iTunes program is also getting a major overhaul, with an emphasis on built-in iCloud support and a prettier, more graphic approach featuring larger album art. They’re also incorporating a better search function as well as a Spotify-like queue feature for auto-play.
By now, iPhone fanatics are probably aware that the iPhone 5 won’t be backwards compatible with standard 30-pin adapters. So Apple is offering a highly profitable (for them) adapter to their new Lightning adapter. The problem here is that these adapters don’t support audio or video output, meaning that when utilized, your iPhone dock or other iPhone accessories can charge the device, but won’t play any music. Thanks a bunch, Apple.
The iPhone 5 will be available on September 21 in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB iterations for $199, $299 and $399, respectively.
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