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Title: Kuo: AirPods Pro With USB-C Charging Case to Launch Later This Year Post by: HCK on March 27, 2023, 04:05:04 pm Kuo: AirPods Pro With USB-C Charging Case to Launch Later This Year
Apple plans to release second-generation AirPods Pro with a USB-C charging case later this year, with mass shipments expected to begin in the second to third quarter, according to information shared today by Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (https://twitter.com/mingchikuo/status/1639249902483173376). (https://images.macrumors.com/article-new/2022/09/airpods-pro-2.jpg) The second-generation AirPods Pro launched in September 2022 with a Lightning charging case. The updated version of the second-generation AirPods Pro would have a USB-C charging case instead, but it's unclear if any other hardware changes are planned. Kuo believes references to new AirPods discovered in the iOS 16.4 Release Candidate (https://www.macrumors.com/2023/03/21/ios-16-4-airpods-reference/) earlier this week are related to the USB-C version of the AirPods Pro. Around two years after the original AirPods Pro launched, Apple started selling the headphones with a MagSafe-compatible charging case (https://www.macrumors.com/2021/10/18/airpods-pro-magsafe-charging-case/), so there is precedent for a mid-cycle charging case update. Unfortunately, the MagSafe case was not sold on a standalone basis, and it's unclear if the USB-C case will be sold separately. The current version of the AirPods Pro charging case features a built-in speaker that can play a sound when the case is misplaced, an opening to attach a lanyard, a U1 chip for Find My support, and newly added compatibility with the Apple Watch charger. All four iPhone 15 models coming later this year are expected to be equipped with a USB-C port, so it makes sense for the AirPods Pro charging case to switch to USB-C as well. Apple already switched the Apple TV's Siri Remote from Lightning to USB-C (https://www.macrumors.com/2022/10/18/apple-tv-remote-usb-c-port/) last year and other accessories like the MagSafe Battery Pack (https://www.macrumors.com/2022/05/15/kuo-usb-c-apple-accessories/) are rumored to follow eventually. Kuo added (https://www.macrumors.com/2023/03/24/apple-not-planning-usb-c-version-of-airpods-3/) that Apple currently has no plans to release USB-C charging cases for the second-generation or third-generation AirPods. This suggests the standard AirPods may not have a USB-C charging case until a fourth-generation pair are released. Apple released the third-generation AirPods in October 2021.<div class="linkback">Related Roundup: AirPods Pro (https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/airpods-pro/)</div><div class="linkback">Tag: Ming-Chi Kuo (https://www.macrumors.com/guide/ming-chi-kuo/)</div><div class="linkback">Buyer's Guide: AirPods Pro (Buy Now) (https://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#AirPods-Pro)</div><div class="linkback">Related Forum: AirPods (https://forums.macrumors.com/forums/airpods.216)</div> This article, "Kuo: AirPods Pro With USB-C Charging Case to Launch Later This Year (https://www.macrumors.com/2023/03/24/airpods-pro-2-usb-c-later-this-year/)" first appeared on MacRumors.com (https://www.macrumors.com) Discuss this article (https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/kuo-airpods-pro-with-usb-c-charging-case-to-launch-later-this-year.2384642/) in our forums Source: Kuo: AirPods Pro With USB-C Charging Case to Launch Later This Year (https://www.macrumors.com/2023/03/24/airpods-pro-2-usb-c-later-this-year/) |