Apple's new Beats Studio Buds+ earbuds that were leaked on Amazon and spotted at Best Buy will likely be formally announced this Wednesday, May 17 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time, according to a teaser tweet from Beats today. The short video in the tweet appears to show the new transparent Studio Buds+ charging case option.
Key new features of the Studio Buds+ are expected to include a transparent design option like the Nothing Ear (2) earbuds, up to 36 hours of battery life with the included USB-C charging case, and 3x larger microphones and up to 1.6× as much active noise cancellation as the original Studio Buds that launched in 2021. The earbuds will be priced at $169.95 in the U.S., according to a since-removed Amazon listing.
Beats Studio Buds+ are a sportier alternative to the AirPods Pro, and have a more compact design without "stems" that drop below the ears. The earbuds will also be available in Black and Ivory color options, and have XS, S, M, and L ear tip size options for a wider range of ears, the Amazon listing and leaked photos revealed.
Beats Studio Buds+ boxes at Best Buy via Ben Geskin
Studio Buds+ were first discovered in iOS 16.4 beta code last month, and they have also surfaced in FCC filings and other regulatory databases around the world. Apple acquired Beats in 2014 for $3 billion, gaining ownership of both the Beats Electronics headphones line and the Beats Music streaming music service that led to Apple Music.
Sunday February 1, 2026 10:08 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon.
In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
In his Powe...
Thursday January 29, 2026 10:07 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today confirmed to Reuters that it has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli startup that is working on artificial intelligence technology for audio.
Apple paid close to $2 billion for Q.ai, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone and audio brand Beats in 2014.
Q.ai has...
Sunday February 1, 2026 12:31 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models.
"All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Saturday January 31, 2026 10:51 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro.
There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an...
Sunday February 1, 2026 5:42 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
"Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today.
"I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...
I love them too, the only thing that makes me crazy about them is having a Mac and an iPhone and it wants to jump from one to the other, no matter what setting I put them on.