Transparent AirPods and 29W Power Adapter Prototypes Surface in Photos
Images of transparent prototype AirPods and a 29W Apple power adapter have been shared on Twitter by Apple device collector Giulio Zompetti.
The prototypes, which appear to be either first-generation or second-generation AirPods, feature clear plastic along the stem and around the outer side of the earbud, with the normal white plastic on the inner side of the earbud. Transparent casings are sometimes used for prototypes to allow engineers to see directly into the device.
Apple has been known to use transparent casings for prototypes dating back to the Macintosh Classic. Other Apple device prototypes, such as for the Macintosh Portable and Newton have emerged over the years, but this is the first time that the striking transparent casing has been seen on an Apple device as recent and as compact as AirPods.
Observers may perceive some coincidental similarities between these prototype AirPods and the design of Nothing's "Ear (1)" true wireless earbuds, which are positioned as a low-cost AirPods Pro competitor.
Last week, Zompetti shared images of a prototype Apple 29W charger with a transparent casing. The 29W power adapter came with the 12-inch MacBook, but was discontinued with that machine in 2018 and replaced with a 30W adapter.
Zompetti is an avid collector of Apple prototype devices and has previously shared images of an Apple Watch Series 3 prototype with additional connectors, an original iPad with two 30-pin ports, an iPhone 12 Pro prototype, a third-generation iPod touch with a rear camera, rare original Apple Watch prototypes, and most notably, a working AirPower prototype.
Related Stories
Nothing, the brand from OnePlus founder Carl Pei, has announced that its Ear (1) true wireless earbuds now include Siri support, putting them on a more equal footing when compared to Apple's rival AirPods Pro.
The $99 Ear (1) feature an in-ear design, Active Noise Cancelation, transparency mode, and a charging case with Qi-compatible wireless charging and a USB-C port, although Fast pairing...
Oppo has announced a record-breaking fast charging technology that is around twelve times faster than the iPhone 13 lineup.
On the first day of 2022's Mobile World Congress (MWC) yesterday, Oppo showcased a range of technologies, including its latest Find X5 series of smartphones, the MariSilicon X custom image processor, a retractable camera system, the Air Glass extended reality monocle,...
The second-generation AirPods Pro are widely expected to launch in the second half of this year. In preparation for the launch, Apple's suppliers are getting ready for shipments of the new high-end AirPods, according to a new report from DigiTimes.
The new second-generation AirPods Pro are widely expected to feature a new design, improved audio, the ability to play back Apple Music lossless...
Honor has announced Earbuds 3 Pro that come with integrated temperature monitoring technology, a feature that has also reportedly been tested by Apple in AirPods prototypes.
Market interest in building temperature measuring functions into earbuds has been mooted for some time now, as it could be useful for fertility tracking, keeping track of sleep, and in the future, it could also detect...
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Debby Wu last year reported that Apple had tested a new iPad Pro with a glass back for wireless charging capabilities. In a recent edition of his newsletter, Gurman said he expects the new iPad Pro to be released in 2022.
While the new iPad Pro is still on track to feature wireless charging, 9to5Mac's Filipe Espósito today reported that Apple may have ultimately...
Apple's second-generation AirPods Pro could deliver higher fidelity audio than the AirPods Max over-ear headphones, despite being comparatively small in-ear buds, recent reports have suggested.
In a recent note to investors, seen by MacRumors, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed that the second-generation AirPods Pro will offer improved audio quality thanks to support...
Bonhams today announced that it will be auctioning several rare prototype Apple devices on November 3, including an unreleased VideoPad.
The VideoPad was intended to be a personal digital assistant (PDA) device similar to Apple's Newton MessagePad series, with Apple testing three versions of the device between 1993 and 1995, including the VideoPad 1, VideoPad 2, and VideoPad 3, according to...
Apple may release a new 30W power adapter with a new form factor design in 2022, reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in a tweet today.
Kuo said the power adapter will utilize gallium nitride or "GaN" technology, which allows for smaller, lighter, and more power efficient chargers than silicon-based chargers. The new 30W adapter would likely be a smaller and lighter version of Apple's...
Popular Stories
The iPad will no longer be able to be used as a home hub following the launch of iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS Ventura, and the HomePod 16 software this fall, Apple confirmed today.
As discovered in iOS 16 code by MacRumors contributor Steve Moser, Apple says that the iPad will no longer be supported as a home hub. This information will be displayed in the Home app after updating to iOS 16.A home ...
CEO Tim Cook this week did an interview with China Daily, where he once again commented on on the future of augmented reality and hinted at Apple's work on an AR/VR headset. Render via designer Ian Zelbo Cook said that Apple is excited about the opportunities available with augmented reality, which is not too far off from prior comments that he's made, but he went on to say that people should ...
Apple today seeded the second betas of iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 to developers for testing purposes, and the new betas introduce new features and refine some of the changes that Apple made with the first iOS 16 release.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Lock Screen Photo Wallpaper Customization
When customizing a photo on the Lock Screen, there are two new DuoTone and...
Since the release of iOS 14.2 in 2020, the iPhone has included a built-in Music Recognition feature in Control Center powered by Shazam. And with iOS 16, and also the iOS 15.6 beta, the feature has received a small but useful upgrade.
As noted by Twitter user @someone_andrew, songs identified with Music Recognition in Control Center finally sync with the Shazam app.
It also remains...
Apple today launched its annual "Back to School" promotion for college/university students in the United States and Canada. This year's promotion offers a free Apple gift card with the purchase of an eligible Mac or iPad, rather than free AirPods like last year. Apple is also offering students 20% off AppleCare+ plans during the promotion.
Apple is offering a $150 gift card with the purchase ...
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the updates coming two weeks after Apple unveiled the new software at WWDC and released the initial betas.
Registered developers can download the iOS and iPadOS 16 profiles from the Apple Developer Center, and once installed, the betas will be available over the air. Given...
Apple is "likely" to announce its long-rumored mixed-reality headset as soon as January 2023, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has reiterated.
Concept render based on purported leaked information by Ian Zelbo In a detailed post on Medium, Kuo explained that Apple's headset will be a "game-changer" for the augmented-reality and virtual-reality market. Describing some of the headset's...
Top Rated Comments
I like them; they're reminiscent of the metal, black, and white we got in the G4 era.
* Anker 65W: 1.65 x 1.42 x 1.74 (4 ounces)
* Apple 140W: 5.52 x 4.64 x 1.28 inches (12 ounces)
* Anker is 4.07 cubic inches
* Apple's is 32.7 cubic inches
* Apple's weighs 3 times as much.
* Apple's charger has about 60% more wattage but is 3x heavier.
* apple's charger is 8 times larger than Anker's by cubic inches
electronics aren't always a matter of multiplication as a linear curve but apple's is a GAN I charger and Anker's is GAN II that's why it's smaller. I'm challenging Apple who is selling a charger that costs $99 instead of $39 to at least only be double the size of Anker's versus 3X the size and that comes through Apple adopting better design. I think Apple can make their charger smaller and chose not to for price reasons.
There are GAN II 100W adapters out there that are much smaller than Apple's and all I'd lose is, at peak performance, the apple laptop would discharge slightly. I think that's what I'll have to do as Apple's brick is just too large for travel.