Stefan Mileschin

Yes, finally -- finally -- Apple's years-long headphone debacle may finally be at an end, with the introduction this morning of redesigned earbuds. Their new name: "EarPods." Like so many things from today's Apple press conference, the new earphones look an awful lot like a leak we saw earlier this month. Apple says the new earphones feature, "a breakthrough design for a more natural fit and increased durability, and an incredible acoustic quality typically reserved for higher-end earphones." As seen above, they feature a main and secondary grill on each "pod," and the iPhone version has an inline remote / microphone built-in along the wire. The set looks starkly different from past Apple earphone offerings -- no rubber, distinctly less visible metal, and an all-plastic outer shell.

Rather than create a plugged-up seal as most in-ear headphones do, the pods rest at the edge of your ear canal with the main grill directed straight into it. A port on the back of each bud helps airflow to enhance the midrange, while dual ports on the bottom of each stem helps the bass response. Overall, the intention is to maximize airflow for optimal sound quality. Apple claims the design results in, "overall audio quality [that's] so impressive, they rival high-end headphones that cost hundreds of dollars more." They're available today for purchase as a standalone, and will ship with the new iPod Touch, Nano, and iPhone 5. A standalone set with an inline remote / mic will cost you the same $29 price point of its predecessor -- and they're already available at the source link below.

http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/12/a...-5-as-earpods/