Apple's Glowtime event saw some major announcements for some of our favorite devices, and for AirPods fans, the AirPods 4 brought a great update to the little white-bud base model, with some new features, a new look, and new charging ports brought to the table Most exciting, however, were the health features coming to the AirPods Pro 2
With three new hearing health features, the AirPods Pro 2 was Apple's way of allowing users to keep their hearing in tip-top shape without harming their most important body part
If you were anything like me as a kid, you hopped on the school bus and cranked up the volume on your headphones to ridiculous levels so you could block out the cacophony of flying sandwiches, screaming children, and rattling diesel-powered double-decker wagons I guess that's what it's all about
Since then, I have come to value my hearing more and only turn the volume up to about 50% when listening to music, but I still worry about the damage I may have done to myself
The AirPods Pro 2 has a variety of hearing features that seem aimed squarely at people like me Apple has developed a three-pronged approach to hearing function: prevention, recognition, and assistance
All three functions work to protect hearing, prevent hearing loss, and perhaps one of the most creative uses of noise-canceling microphones since ANC was first incorporated into headphones: to assist people with hearing loss
Hearing impairment is something we can all be victims of, whether or not we are listening to 90s new metal blasting Just walking around outside in crowded streets, noisy construction sites, cacophonous subway stations and trains, etc, exposes us to extremely loud sounds
The hearing protection portion of the new AirPods Pro 2 is designed to reduce these real-world noises by using noise-canceling microphones and passive sealing with silicone eartips to stop loud and potentially dangerous noises from reaching your ears and are designed to reduce these real-world noises
The idea is to protect your hearing by blocking out all the worst noises, even when the noise canceling feature is not active It is like wearing safety ear muffs that play music but are more comfortable This is great for everyone, but there is one group in particular that would benefit from blocking out the loudest sounds while still being able to hear the sounds around them
Some people struggle with loud, intrusive sounds so much that they have to wear large, awkward, and uncomfortable ear defenders As a result, they are unable to hear sounds around them and are more likely to find themselves in dangerous situations But Apple's new mode could help them by allowing them to hear the wider world while blocking out the sounds they struggle with
I initially thought this feature was meant to make them more aware of the world around them (something ANC has made more difficult than ever, for better or worse), but it is not; it is meant to make them more aware of their overall hearing health
With the AirPods Pro 2, you can create a “personalized hearing profile” that shows you how healthy your hearing is
This test is stored privately within the Health app and can be shown to a hearing professional to discuss your hearing in more depth But what I find interesting and exciting about this feature is not necessarily the health part of hearing, but what it means for personalized audio
AirPods Pro 2 uses your hearing profile to create a virtually personalized EQ that can be used for games, movies, and more importantly, music AirPods reads your profile, calculates how well you can hear each element of the selected medion, and creates an EQ that best suits you and your hearing
No longer is there a uniform sound profile for AirPods Pro 2 Instead of having adjustable bass and treble, a neutral sound profile will be maintained, allowing everyone to hear the true sound of the AirPods
Perhaps the most impressive part of the new lineup of health features According to Apple, the AirPods Pro 2 will be a “clinical grade” hearing aid for people with mild to moderate hearing loss
Using a microphone on the outside of the earphones, the AirPods Pro 2 uses your hearing profile to help you hear sounds around you Little more than that, but very exciting
They won't be as impressive as hearing aids prescribed by a medical provider, but the price of admission is actually much lower [Hearing aids are incredibly expensive, often costing thousands of dollars a set; the AirPods Pro 2 are priced at $249, much cheaper than hearing aids At this time, the feature is awaiting approval from global health authorities, but it has the potential to bring better hearing to people who traditionally could not afford hearing aids
Apple products are not often described as a low-budget option
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