Apple is expected to release new AirPods Pro by the end of this year, and the updated earbuds will have a key new feature: heart rate monitoring, according to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman.
Gurman’s comments came from his latest Power On newsletter, released on Sunday:
As for Apple’s other devices, there’s a lot in the fall pipeline — though many of the new products are only incremental upgrades.
There will be Apple Watch updates, faster Vision Pro headsets and iPad Pros with the M5 processor. You should also expect new AirPods Pro earbuds (I reported earlier this year that Apple is working on a pair with heart-rate monitoring), as well as HomePod minis and Apple TV set-top boxes.
Apple introduced a heart rate monitoring feature on the Powerbeats Pro 2 back in February.
Accurate Heart Rate Monitoring for workouts provides real-time data on an athlete’s performance, as LED optical sensors pulse over 100 times per second to measure blood flow.
The data the Powerbeats Pro 2 collects can be sent to compatible fitness apps in real time. The Powerbeats Pro 2 Heart Rate Monitoring feature is currently compatible with the following apps in the United States:
- Open
- Peloton
- Runna
- Slopes
- Ladder
- Nike Run Club
- YaoYao
The feature is based on the Apple Watch’s heart rate sensing technology. If someone is wearing both Powerbeats Pro 2 and an Apple Watch, Apps default to using Apple Watch heart rate data, and that will likely be the way the feature works on the new AirPods Pro also.
It is likely that the next AirPods Pro will also feature improved sound quality, improved active noise cancellation, design changes, and more.
