AirPods come in one color and one color only – white. Unlike other Apple products, you can't choose a color option on the purchase page, or when you go to the shop, you have to do the ol' Henry Ford, and lump it with the single available color. Hope you like it because it's all you're getting, etc etc.
Things could have been different, however – these images of prototype AirPods from Twitter user Kosutami show that we almost had some cool colors that we could buy AirPods in.
This means that somewhere out there, in an alternative universe, a different version of you is walking around with Midnight-colored AirPods Pro 2. Why couldn't it have been us?
Colored AirPods
Apple used to release color version of 1st gen AirPods, they planned to make Pink, ProductRED, Purple, Black, Blonde.Reason of that: they wanted to match the color with iPhone 7. (Purple version of iPhone 7 cancelled at last)And it’s been cancelled. #appleinternal #Apple pic.twitter.com/AaQqrJZbSrMay 30, 2023
Kosutami is a "Rare Apple product collector", so these prototype AirPods are right up their street. They add some more details to really hammer home the FOMO, as well; Apple "planned to make Pink, ProductRED, Purple, Black, and Blonde."
So not only did we not get colored AirPods, but we also missed out on Purple AirPods. Even worse is that they made it all the way through the different design stages – according to Kosutami, they were canceled "close to launch."
Apparently, the AirPods colors were going to match the colors that you could buy an iPhone 7 in – including the unreleased purple color that the pictures also feature in. We of course finally got a purple iPhone with the iPhone 12, followed by Purple with the iPhone 14 and Deep Purple with the iPhone 14 Pro, albeit these aren't quite as purple as the one shown here.
So while we lament the as-yet-continued lack of colorful AirPods, we're sure to see some more colors on the upcoming iPhone 15 – and who knows? Maybe Apple will see bring some fun with some matching colorful AirPods.
If you want to join the conversations, make sure you head over to our forum to sign up so that you can give your two cents on which color AirPods you'd have most liked to have seen.