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.

airpods prototype translucent
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 Roundup: AirPods 3
Buyer's Guide: AirPods (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: AirPods

Top Rated Comments

asdex Avatar
30 months ago
So they have really crystal clear sound? :)
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kemal Avatar
30 months ago
I really miss the see through designs from 1998-2002.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
30 months ago
This looks pretty cool. It would look ever more cooler if it’s on the iPhone.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AngerDanger Avatar
30 months ago
This is it; the closest we'll ever get to black official AirPods.

I like them; they're reminiscent of the metal, black, and white we got in the G4 era.

Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mrat93 Avatar
30 months ago
I still miss my transparent-backed iPhone 4 and 4S.



Attachment Image
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
adamjackson Avatar
30 months ago

You don’t think the 140W adapter might be larger because it’s able to provide more than double the power of your 65W adapters?
[LIST=1]
* 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.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
maxresdefault

Apple to Launch New iPad Pro and iPad Air Models in May

Thursday March 28, 2024 11:07 am PDT by
Apple will introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman previously suggested the new iPads would come out in March, and then April, but the timeline has been pushed back once again. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple is working on updates to both the iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The iPad Pro models will...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

Apple Releases Revised Versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 With Updated Build Number

Wednesday March 27, 2024 5:59 am PDT by
Apple on late Tuesday released revised versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 with an updated build number of 21E237, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The updates previously had a build number of 21E236. The revised updates are available for all iPhone and iPad models that are compatible with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, but they can only be installed via the Finder app on macOS...
applephilschiller

Apple's Phil Schiller Works 80 Hours a Week Overseeing App Store

Wednesday March 27, 2024 2:03 pm PDT by
With the App Store and app ecosystem undergoing major changes in the European Union, The Wall Street Journal today shared a profile on App Store chief Phil Schiller, who is responsible for the App Store. Though Schiller transitioned from marketing chief to "Apple Fellow" in 2020 to take a step back from Apple and spend more time on personal projects and friends, he is reportedly working...