Kuo: AirPods Pro 2 launching later this year, AirPods 3 struggling

Ming-Chi Kuo says that Apple will release its new AirPods Pro 2 buds in the second half of 2022.

In a tweet Kuo revealed that Apple has reportedly cut orders for its AirPods 3 for Q2 and Q3 of 2022. He says that due to product segmentation, a strategy that has failed, demand for the buds is "significantly weaker" than that of AirPods 2. Kuo went on to say that Apple would therefore discontinue the AirPods Pro, currently its best true wireless earbuds, when it releases AirPods Pro 2 later this year "to avoid repeating the same mistake."

Kuo it seems is indicating that Apple's decision to continue stocking and selling its older AirPods may be harming the sales of its newer model.

Kuo has previously tipped the AirPods Pro 2 for a launch at the end of this year, as has Mark Gurman. From Bloomberg:

The AirPods Pro coming next year will be the first change to that product since October 2019 and will include updated motion sensors with a focus on fitness tracking, the people said, asking not to be named because the plans are private.

AirPods Pro should also include active noise cancelation, a stand-out feature of the current model, and a key differentiator between those and the regular AirPods.