With iPhones poised to be getting USB-C this year, the number of of devices by Apple still holding on to its proprietary Lightning connector continues to dwindle. And it looks like there will be another to be added to the list of devices sporting the more universal connector standard. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that the second generation AirPods Pro will also be getting the USB-C treatment.
On Twitter, Kuo claims that the fruit company is looking to release “the USB-C version of the AirPods Pro 2, with mass shipments expected in 2Q2023 – 3Q2023”. This is in response to another tweet which mentions new AirPods earbuds with the model number of A3048, and an A2968 case, being referenced in iOS 16.4. Also, the USB-C upgrade also only appears to apply to the second generation AirPods Pro. Kuo notes in his tweet that there appears to be no plans for the base model AirPods 2 and 3 to be getting the same USB-C upgrade.
I think this is likely the USB-C version of the AirPods Pro 2, with mass shipments expected in 2Q23-3Q23. By the way, Apple currently appears to have no plans for USB-C versions of the AirPods 2 & 3.
我覺得這應該是AirPods Pro… https://t.co/aWKJvGh1lW
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) March 24, 2023
While another Apple product dropping Lightning in favour of USB-C is good, the AirPods Pro themselves getting a separate model number is interesting. It suggests that the new earbuds coming with the new case may have new or at least different features, but that remains to be seen. On a related note, it remains to be seen if the new case will be purchasable separately, and if they will be compatible with the existing earbuds.
Apple initially launched the second-generation AirPods Pro back in September of last year. The case has speakers at the bottom, an IPX4 rating, and supports MagSafe, Qi, and Apple Watch charging options in addition to the Lightning port. It’s likely that the USB-C model will also have all of these, but we’ll have to wait for the actual announcement by the fruit company to be sure.
(Source: Ming-Chi Kuo / Twitter)
