Apple yesterday launched the brand new AirPods Max announcedThe headphones have an over-ear design and the well-known AirPods features - but one important component is missing, the U1 chip.
According to the technical specifications, the AirPods Max were not equipped with Apple's U1 chip. Ultra-wideband (UWB) is a power-saving radio technology with short ranges, but it enables very precise location determination - especially indoors. The so-called U1 chip was originally introduced in the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro. According to various rumors, the new headphones should also have the U1 chip. So far, it has also been claimed that ultra-wideband technology will have a much greater importance within the Apple ecosystem in the future. But that is not quite the case. The AirPods Max were not equipped with the U1 chip equipped.
U1 chip: Apple has announced further use cases
The launch of the U1 chip has already been inconsistent, as all iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 models, Apple Watch Series 6 models, and the HomePod mini have been equipped with the chip, but not the second generation iPhone SE, Apple Watch SE, or the latest iPad, iPad Air, and iPad Pro models. The Mac line has not yet been equipped with the chip in question either. This fact contradicts some statements by leakers such as Jon Prosser. Apple has so far only used ultra-wideband technology in a limited way, such as AirDrop from iOS 13. The company has promised more use cases for the future but has not given any details. One of these use cases will likely be the so-called AirTag. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has already stated that the new tracker will support ultra-wideband. This should enable users to locate their lost items more precisely. (Image: Apple)
