Second-gen AirPods Pro could be on the way. Mark Gurman said in his latest PowerOn newsletter that a new version Apple’s active noise cancellation wireless earbuds may be coming in the fall with an updated look. He also suggests that Apple is working on new colors and a refresh for the AirPods Max.
The current AirPods Max comes in five color options, so it’s a little surprising that Apple is choosing to go with more colorways for its over-the-ear ANC headphones. On the other hand, the current AirPods Pro only comes in white and could definitely use some more color variety, even if it’s just black.
Gurman notes the “absurd” $550 price tag for the AirPods Max and hopes for a price drop for the new version. We definitely have to agree about the restrictive price tag, but there’s really no indication that Apple will be lowering the price.
A long time coming —
It’s been nearly three years since Apple released its first version of the AirPods Pro. Even though they came out in October 2019, the AirPods Pro still hold up well against competing wireless earbuds. But even Gurman notes that the battery health for those original earbuds might be struggling to hold up these days. (The unfortunate reality with wireless earbuds is that once their batteries are depleted, the earbuds themselves become kaput.)
Meanwhile, Apple is up to its third generation for its regular AirPods that were released in October. With the second-gen AirPods Pro, one of the rumored upgrades that we’ve been hearing about is that it might support lossless audio playback, as reported by TF Securities International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. There’s also some lingering rumors that the updated AirPods Pro could support new health management and fitness tracking features, as well as ditch the stems (though that seems unlikely).
New case design needed —
As for the refreshed AirPods Max, we’re not sure if Apple is looking to get these to support lossless playback. Per the newsletter, it sounds like Apple won’t be doing much in terms of upgrades to the AirPods Max, just going for a new look and more colors. But, let’s hope that Apple will at least redesign its weird bra-like case for the AirPods Max.
