Apple is reportedly planning for some major revamps in its popular AirPod wireless earbud lineup, starting in 2024. As usual, this news comes from reliable Apple news leaker Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, citing unnamed sources.
Gurman says that the second-gen AirPods, which normally cost $129, (although you can get them at Amazon for $99.99 at the moment), will be phased out in 2024. The same goes with the third-gen AirPods, which have an MSRP of $169 but currently have a price of $149 on Amazon.
Gurman claims that sales of the third-gen models have been lower than expected from Apple, with many buyers opting to get the older, but cheaper, second-gen versions.
The report claims Apple is actually working on two different new fourth-gen AirPods for launch late next year. Both will get a new design that will reportedly make them look like a hybrid of the current AirPod and the Pro version.
The more expensive of the two upcoming AirPods will include noise-cancelling features, according to Gurman. The higher price model will also reportedly come with a case with onboard speakers. Both new cases will support USB-C charging cables, according to the story.
In addition to the new AirPods, Gurman claims Apple is also working on new versions of its AirPods Max headphones. They will also launch in late 2024, according to the story, but aside from some new color choices, they won"t have a lot of design changes.
Finally, Gurman says we will have to wait a while longer for a new AirPod Pro model. He says Apple is working on a new version, but it won"t be released until 2025. He says that it will also get a new design and that Apple may incorporate some hearing health features in the product as well, although details about that feature were not revealed.
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