Apple plans to launch two new AirPods models alongside the iPhone 16 series, with one model featuring ‘Pro’ upgrades like USB-C charging and ANC. A budget-friendly ‘AirPods Lite’ version is expected to debut in late 2024.
The fourth generation of AirPods is expected this year, and it’s thought they are about to go into production in readiness for what’s called “the biggest AirPods launch to date,” in the fall.
The quote comes from a recent edition of Power On, the email newsletter from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who predicts a “record-setting run. The company is planning to produce 20 million to 25 million units of the earbuds, an increase over prior new models.”
That’s a very big change from the launch of the first AirPods, which were late to market and in short supply at first.
Gurman also says that the AirPods 4, which will doubtless be called AirPods fourth generation, will be part of a “renewed push into the lower end of the market.”
There will be two versions of AirPods 4, it’s claimed, and the current second- and third-generation earbuds will be retired when they arrive. Right now, you can buy the third-gen models for $129, and the older ones for $169, or $179 with a MagSafe Charging case. There’s no news on what the next models will cost, though I’d have thought they would be around the same.
Both versions will have a new design and promise a better fit in the ear. The charging case will have a USB-C rather than Lightning connector (which is something to file under “Literally no surprise at all.”
The two versions will differ in terms of capabilities, with the pricier pair offering active noise cancellation, something Apple currently reserves only for AirPods Pro. The case will be different between the two models, with the more expensive pair having Find My capabilities with a speaker so you can hear where the case is even if you can’t see it.
Upgrades are also promised in the software coming this fall, as part of iOS 18. One of these is a hearing aid mode, but this will be restricted to AirPods Pro. After all, iOS 18 will arrive at about the same time as the new AirPods are predicted, so Apple needs extra features to tempt buyers to consider the more expensive Pro models. New AirPods Pro are not expected until 2025.
In a radically different departure, Gurman says, “The company is also working on a hearing-test feature for AirPods. In another health development, all signs point to the new Apple Watch gaining a blood-pressure checker this fall. But it doesn’t appear that the capability will be coming to current models.”
And in the years to come, it’s thought AirPods will include cameras to scan the user’s environment.
