Apple will debut AirPods Pro 2 next year according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo

Air Pods Pro on stage
Air Pods Pro on stage (Image credit: Rene Ritchie / iMore)

What you need to know

  • Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says AirPods Pro will get an update next year.
  • Other details aren't clear, but Kuo does expect sales to boom.

Apple will launch new AirPods Pro earbuds in 2022 according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In a research note seen by iMore, the analyst says that Apple's earbuds business will be boosted by AirPods Pro sales during the year.

Kuo says that while Apple's AirPods business will "decline in the short term (2H21–1H22)" he expects that to be rectified by the second half of the year. Short term, however, lower than expected demand is thought to mean Apple will ship up to 75 million units which is 10 million down on the previous prediction.

In terms of AirPods as a whole, Kuo says that he expects Apple to ship more than 100 million units in 2022, even if the new products don't feature an "innovative experience." Such an experience has been talked about before — previous reports have suggested some form of health tracking could be added to AirPods Pro specifically.

Apple's AirPods Pro refresh is due, as is a new pair of AirPods. Apple's mid-range earbuds are rumored for a refresh before the end of the year. You don't have to wait that long to get some though, and right now you can save some money as well. Just make sure to check out our collection of the best AirPods deals before you place your order.

Apple will hold an iPhone event this September, all being well. With Apple Watch and iPad updates also possible we could be in for a busy last few months of 2021.

Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.