Since its debut in 2016, AirPods have proven to be a huge hit for Apple. The earphones have revolutionized how people listen to music and podcasts and have become synonymous with wireless audio. Additionally, these items have proven to be a huge commercial success for Apple, bringing in enormous sums of money for the business. The AirPods have become Apple’s best-selling item of all time and held more than 50% of the global market share for wireless earbuds in 2022 due to their relatively lower price compared to the other items in the company’s range.
Since the initial model of the AirPods was introduced in 2016, Apple has continually upgraded the line. The first generation of Apple AirPods was released in 2016, followed by the second generation in 2019 and the third generation in 2021. The AirPods Pro, a more expensive version of the AirPods, was also released by the firm in 2019. The second generation AirPods Pro made its debut in 2022, three years later, and featured a few improvements.
In addition to these models, the business also developed its first-ever over-ear headphones in 2020. The AirPods Max, an expensive item from Apple, competes with high-end noise-canceling headphones like the Sony WH-1000X and Bose QC series. Apple is anticipated to produce new AirPod versions in 2023, possibly with a number of enhancements like higher sound quality, longer battery life, and active noise cancellation. This is because of the series significance.
Apple’s AirPods plan for 2023
Less than a year ago, in September 2022, Apple introduced the second-generation AirPods Pro, its most recent AirPods product. The basic AirPods, the company’s entry-level model, also went without an update for less than two years in October 2021. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that neither of these items will require an update before 2023. The AirPods Max are the only option left since they haven’t been updated since December 2020. It’s probable that Apple is preparing to release an updated model of the AirPods Max this year that includes a number of fresh upgrades. However, the corporation has not yet provided any such indications.
However, since 2022, there have been rumors about an updated AirPods Max, with renowned tech journalist Mark Gurman speculating about a mid-2022 release date. However, that did not occur, and almost a year later, there are still no indications of an upgraded AirPods Max. The release of an updated AirPods Max could be delayed until 2024, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s tweet from January 2023. If this is the case, it would mark the longest time between two AirPods product generations to date.
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The next-generation AirPods will likely begin mass shipments in 2H24 or 1H25, including more affordable AirPods (with Apple targeting a price of $99) and new AirPods Max, which will be assembled by Luxshare ICT and Hon Teng.— éƒæ˜ŽéŒ¤ (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) January 12, 2023
There have also been requests for Apple to lower the price of the Apple AirPods Max (2nd Generation) if it does release them in 2023 or 2024. Gurman also mentioned that the product might have a few small improvements, like more color options and perhaps lossless audio support.
Will there be an Apple AirPods Lite in 2023
Analysts are now focusing on potential new AirPods models as there is no sign that Apple will upgrade the AirPods Max in 2023 and the rest of the AirPods portfolio is too new to receive an update. The Apple AirPods Lite was the one that attracted the most attention. This ‘Lite’ version of the standard AirPods, which was first mentioned by analyst Jeff Pu in January 2023, is purportedly intended to displace the standard AirPods as Apple’s most cost-effective model.
A few days later, Min-Chi Kuo tweeted about the potential release of Apple’s AirPods Lite and endorsed Pu’s prognosis. However, Kuo also mentioned that Apple might delay the release of this budget-friendly AirPods model until the second half of 2024 or the beginning of 2025 because the company is not too keen on doing so in 2023. Kuo also suggested that Apple may choose to sell the AirPods Lite for less than $99, which would enable it to capture an even larger portion of the audio accessory market.
For this more cheap model of the AirPods, some have speculated that Apple may use the AirPods SE naming convention.
Possible new features on Apple AirPods
While we wait for the new AirPods to arrive, rumors are already flying about what features Apple might add to the updated lineup. The ability to playback Apple’s high-resolution lossless audio format, which the firm launched in 2021, is one of the most requested features and a potential area for improvement for Apple.
Today, this feature is only found in a few extremely costly, audiophile-grade headphones. And while there is a very slim chance that Apple would add this capability to their next AirPods Max, it will be interesting to watch how much it would affect the cost of an already pricey piece of audio equipment. This might also necessitate Apple developing its own codec.
The AirPods Max indeed allows high-quality audio playing in the wired mode, but Apple isn’t calling it lossless because of an intermediary analog-digital-analog conversion process that isn’t strictly speaking “lossless” in the genuine sense.
The likelihood of a complete switchover to USB-C across the board, including the charging cases, many of which still utilize the lightning socket, is another update that the AirPods lineup is expected to receive in 2023 and beyond. Given the challenges of collecting precise core body temperatures with smartwatches, there have also been discussions about Apple adding a temperature sensor to the AirPods. Apple is rumored to be adding a “hearing sense evaluator” to determine how well a person can hear in addition to a new temperature sensor.
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