News
According to TechNews’ report, ever since the introduction of Apple’s AirPods, there’s been a surge in demand for true wireless earphones, resulting in a proliferation of knockoffs attempting to mimic the success of AirPods.
While these counterfeits may resemble AirPods in appearance and claim to match their functionality, can they truly serve as a substitute for the genuine article?
To explore this, the startup company Lumafield turned to CT scanning technology, originally used in medical diagnostics, now finding new applications in combating counterfeit electronics.
After examining the internal structure of genuine and counterfeit AirPods, Lumafield concluded that the intricate and precise design of the authentic AirPods is unmatched by counterfeit products. They elaborated on three aspects: batteries, circuitry, and build quality.
Batteries
Lumafield highlighted that batteries are crucial to the wireless convenience and flexibility of AirPods. Authentic AirPods feature meticulously designed button cell batteries in each earbud, aimed at snugly fitting the compact design and providing optimal power.
In contrast, counterfeit AirPods use lithium-ion pouch cell batteries, structurally simpler and potentially less safe than the genuine ones. The counterfeit AirPods simply cram rectangular batteries into circular spaces, lacking the tailored fit of the authentic design.
Circuitry
Regarding internal circuitry, Lumafield deemed the genuine AirPods a marvel of miniaturization and precision engineering.
Apple uses a combination of rigid and flexible printed circuit boards to densely pack components, ensuring effective utilization of every millimeter of internal space in AirPods. Counterfeits, on the other hand, are much simpler, composed of off-the-shelf components, compromising functionality with fewer microphones and control circuitry, thus affecting sound quality.
Build Quality
The stark contrast in overall build quality between authentic AirPods and counterfeits is evident. In one of the tested counterfeit AirPods, wireless charging is entirely absent (as no coils are visible in the scans), while the other counterfeit model lacks the magnets that snap the real AirPods case onto Apple’s Watch charger, despite having wireless charging coils.
Counterfeit AirPods even resort to using internal weights solely to mimic the weight of the genuine product. While these counterfeits may replicate the appearance of the original, the use of inferior materials not only impacts the tactile experience but also compromises the structural integrity and overall lifespan of the product.
Authentic vs. Counterfeit
Lumafield highlighted that the differences between these products and their counterfeits might seem subtle at first, but industrial CT scans revealed significant implications for performance and safety. Ultimately, choosing between authentic and counterfeit may not merely be a matter of cost but rather a decision about investing in reliability and peace of mind.
(Photo credit: Lumafield)
Press Releases
On the eve of Apple’s upcoming new product launch conference, the global market research organization, TrendForce, provides the following reference data for your articles and reporting.
Reference data as follows:
Press Releases
Apple’s latest AirPods 3 still feature an optical in-ear detection mechanism, according to TrendForce’s 2021 Infrared Sensing Market Trend – 3D Sensing, LiDAR, SWIR LED report. Through the integration of PPG (photoplethysmography) technology, the AirPods 3 contain an improved in-ear detection mechanism based on skin-detect sensors that are equipped with four SWIR (short-wave infrared) LED chips that have two different wavelengths, as well as two InGaAs photodiodes. Industry insiders indicate that the AirPods 3’s skin-detect sensors may potentially detect the water content in the wearer’s skin, giving them the ability to differentiate between human skin and other surfaces. TrendForce expects annual AirPods shipment for 2022 to reach 85 million sets, a 3.7% YoY increase.
While the demand for these end-products rises, the relevant suppliers will stand to benefit as a result. Such companies include SWIR LED chip suppliers Epistar and DOWA; InGaAs photodiode suppliers DOWA and II-VI/Finisar; and module assembler USI.
SWIR wavelengths range from 1,050-2,500 nm, which encompasses the optical properties of compounds such as water, sugar, and alcohol. While SWIR technologies gradually mature, and prices begin to reach feasible levels, wearables manufacturers are expected to officially integrate SWIR technologies into their products in 2H21. With improvements in their algorithm, wearables are increasingly likely to feature PPG-based biosensing functions, which can measure not only heart rate and blood oxygen levels, but also other variables including body hydration as well as blood glucose, blood lipid, and blood alcohol levels in the future.
For more information on reports and market data from TrendForce’s Department of Optoelectronics Research, please click here, or email Ms. Grace Li from the Sales Department at graceli@trendforce.com
Press Releases
Apple is set to unveil the successors to its current device lineups at this year’s fall product launch on September 14. Please see below for some of TrendForce‘s latest data pertaining to the global consumer electronics market:
(Cover image source: Apple official website)