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Apple Intelligence has been largely underwhelming to most people thus far. That said, I believe that a killer use case has arrived, and we’re vastly underestimating its long-term impact. That feature is Live Translation. It is easy to dismiss it as a travel gimmick, but I think it could become one of the most important business tools Apple has ever shipped. When AirPods can handle real-time translation with nothing more than an iPhone in your pocket, the way global teams collaborate starts to look very different.
About Apple @ Work: Bradley Chambers managed an enterprise IT network from 2009 to 2021. Through his experience deploying and managing firewalls, switches, a device management system, enterprise grade Wi-Fi, 1000s of Macs, and 1000s of iPads, Bradley will highlight ways in which Apple IT managers deploy Apple devices, build networks to support them, train users, stories from the trenches of IT management, and ways Apple could improve its products for IT departments.
What Live Translation does today
Live Translation lets you download languages in the Translate app, then start a session where anything spoken in another language is translated directly into your AirPods. You can respond in your own language, and the other person can see or hear the translation on your iPhone. If both people have supported AirPods, each participant can hear the conversation in their preferred language.
Today, Live Translation with AirPods works on AirPods 4, AirPods Pro 2, and AirPods Pro 3 when paired with an iPhone 15 Pro or later with Apple Intelligence turned on. You’ll need the latest firmware installed, and it is not available in every language or region. At launch, it is also not offered in the EU.
Why this could matter for business
Live Translation with AirPods has the potential to eliminate the barrier to communication in a way that feels natural and invisible. Imagine walking into a meeting in Tokyo with people who do not speak the same language and being able to follow along in your own language without needing an interpreter. For worldwide organizations, this could change how teams collaborate across offices and time zones.
Will it eliminate the need for translators in 2025? No. Battery life and comfort will need to continue improving. The feature is not perfect or available in every language. However, if Apple continues to push battery improvements in AirPods and refine the technology, the potential is massive. A world where you can wear AirPods all day in meetings and have live translation running in the background would transform how companies approach global collaboration.
Imagine walking into a store in a country where the staff speaks French and you speak English. If both parties wear AirPods, they can talk to each other in real-time. Imagine how this would impact global travel, international calls, global sports, and other aspects of the business world.
Wrap up
In 2025 and 2026, there is virtually no chance that Live Translation with AirPods will replace human translators for legal, medical, or highly nuanced situations. It could be a breakthrough for day-to-day business conversations over the next decade. Let’s envision a world where Apple continues to improve comfort and AirPods battery life (perhaps even achieving all-day use), and Apple Intelligence expands its language coverage.
In that case, this may be one of Apple’s most important enterprise features in years (maybe ever?). The idea that a simple pair of earbuds could unlock real-time communication across languages has the potential to reshape global collaboration. It could make the idea of needing to learn another language for business reasons completely extinct.
Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.
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