AirPods ProSource: iMore

What you need to know

  • Apple's next AirPods might have been revealed by DigiTimes.
  • According to MacRumors, the next AirPods will have the same design as the AirPods Pro.
  • However, they will not feature Active Noise Cancellation.

A report from MacRumors claims the next AirPods will feature the design of the AirPods Pro without Active Noise Cancellation.

The report states:

Apple plans to release new AirPods with the same design as the existing AirPods Pro but without active noise cancellation, allowing for a lower price point, according to supply chain sources cited by Taiwanese publication DigiTimes.

The paywalled report claims that Apple originally planned to unveil the new AirPods in May 2020, and while Apple has apparently not yet made any adjustments to that release schedule, the supply chain sources believe that Apple may have to postpone the launch to the second half of 2020 or even 2021 due to the global health crisis.

There's no citation from the report as to a reference to lack of Active Noise Cancellation or the design of the AirPods. The report also says that whilst the DigiTimes report refers to these AirPods as AirPods Pro, however, that "it is quite possible these could end up being regular third-generation AirPods.

Cyber Monday may be over but these Cyber Week deals are still alive

It seems strange that Apple would release new AirPods Pro so soon after the launch of the original AirPods Pro model. More likely, it's possible that these are being referred to as AirPods Pro, or in some cases, AirPods Pro 'Lite' to reflect the changed design to the form factor of the current AirPods Pro. The lack of Active Noise Cancellation would certainly make the product cheaper, and successfully denote the difference between the two.