Source says Apple may be releasing its own wireless earbuds soon

Today in the ever-disappointing iPhone 7 missing headphone jack saga: Forbes is reporting that Apple has developed a custom Bluetooth radio chip for wireless earbuds.

This might be exciting because Apple is making them and there's a chance they'll actually have decent battery life, unlike most bluetooth headphones.

It's important to note, however, that Forbes never names the source or a release date. We also don't know how the headphones would work to preserve battery life, or what else actually makes them special. And even this anonymous source is reporting that the headphones have been delayed in the past due to performance issues.

There's a chance they'll actually have decent battery life, unlike most bluetooth headphones.

If Apple can't develop its own headphones, the company may use a third-party supplier like Broadcom, which they used for other wireless technologies. The developers working on the headphones are technically external recruits from an Oakland-based semiconductor startup called Passif. Apple in 2013 acquired the company, which describes its mission as making “switch-based wireless transceivers with low power consumption and a small footprint.”

In other words, they may or may not actually come out alongside the iPhone 7 in September. But pressure is high to do so, now that Samsung just announced its own Bluetooth earbuds, GearIconX.

But Apple sets high standards for itself. It seems we'll either get some stellar headphones or nothing at all.

“The way it works at Apple is if it doesn’t work 100%, it gets cut,” Forbes' anonymous source said.

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