Apple is still expected to launch the fourth-generation AirPods and a new AirPods Max later this year, despite no new leaks, according to a report. The tech giant is going through a tough period as reports suggest that Apple Vision Pro buyers are returning the headset at an unusually high rate. However, this has not dented any of its long-term plans and the company is reportedly on schedule to unveil two different variants of new AirPods.
In his latest weekly Power On newsletter, Bloomberg analyst Mark Gurman shared that Apple is right on track to bring two new AirPods and a new AirPods Max to the market in late 2024. This information comes as a much-needed update to his older report in October 2023, which first mentioned the development. At the time, Gurman had said that the two variants of the truly wireless stereo (TWS) earphones would replace the second and third-generation AirPods.
The report suggested that the earphones could be entirely redesigned from top to bottom. It is said to sport a shorter stem, a new earbud design, and a new look for the charging case. Audio quality is also expected to witness an upgrade. Between the two variants, the base model could get a new earbud and charging case design but will miss out on Active Noise Cancellation (ANC).
Meanwhile, the more expensive variant is said to feature ANC and a charging case speaker that can be triggered to play a sound via the Find My app’s location tracking feature. That’s not all as the report also mentions that a new AirPods Pro could be unveiled by Apple in 2025 with an updated chip, which can be the company’s H3 chipset.
Alongside, Apple is also expected to refresh its top-of-the-line AirPods Max. Unlike the earphones, the headphones are not likely to get a major overhaul. As per Gurman, the new model could ditch the Lightning port in favour of the USB Type-C port and get a wired audio playback feature. Additionally, they might arrive in newer colour options. The current generation AirPods Max are available in Green, Pink, Silver, Sky Blue, and Space Grey.