Lower-Cost AirPods and New AirPods Max Said to Launch Later This Year - MacRumors
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Lower-Cost AirPods and New AirPods Max Said to Launch Later This Year

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Apple plans to release lower-cost AirPods later this year, according to Jeff Pu, an analyst who covers companies within Apple's supply chain.

airpods 3 orange
In a research note today with investment firm Haitong International Securities, Pu said a Foxconn subsidiary will be one of the suppliers of the lower-cost AirPods. Pu said Foxconn will ramp up AirPods assembly at a factory in India in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously said Apple plans to release two fourth-generation AirPods models in September or October, including entry-level and mid-tier models. He said both models will feature a new design with better fit, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C port, while the mid-tier model will also feature active noise cancellation and a speaker for Find My location tracking. It is unclear if the lower-priced AirPods and the entry-level fourth-generation AirPods are the same product, but it seems plausible.

Pu also expects updated AirPods Max to be released in the fourth quarter of 2024. Gurman previously said a USB-C charging port will be the only new feature for the over-ear headphones, and new color options are also a possibility.

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Top Rated Comments

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filmgirl
27 months ago
I have such a love/hate relationship with my AirPods Max. I refuse to charge my AirPods Max in the stupid bra (which I have also misplaced and I categorically refuse to buy a replacement from Apple…it is somewhere) so the battery life (which was never good at launch and is even worse years later, and this pair was replaced under warranty in December 2022 right before the AppleCare+ expired) is not great and I get to have the fun of manually re-pairing them every few days. I also don’t love the comfort and the noise cancellation isn’t as good as my Sony's. The sound quality is quite good, especially for spatial audio, but I have better headphones for serious listening. All things considered, these are absolutely the worst $550 headphones I own, and I own a lot of headphones in this price range.

That said, I’m counting down the days for the next generation, because even if the only change is a USB-C port, these are an instant-buy. The auto-pairing is just too good across devices and as much as it pains me, if my current pair died tomorrow, I’d be ordering a replacement immediately.

I do hope that whatever Sonos comes out with and whatever Sony's successor headphones are will encourage Apple to do a little more than just adding a USB-C port, but I doubt it. In any event, I look at my pink AirPods Max with disdain and look forward to replacing them with a pair I hate almost as much.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vegetassj4 Avatar
vegetassj4
27 months ago
What is old is new again:



Attachment Image
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JoeG4 Avatar
JoeG4
27 months ago

I have such a love/hate relationship with my AirPods Max. I refuse to charge my AirPods Max in the stupid bra
I hate that stupid bra less than I thought I would, but I also don't understand why they insisted on it. I bought them because I loved how convenient using my gen 2 airpods is. But I really like over-ear cans and needed something with noise cancellation. But I can't just have it sitting on my desk, it has to be in that case. lol.

That said, the case. I don't really care about headphone cases because the headphones live on my desk. Quite the opposite: I don't want to have to use a case. I get that having a power button isn't very Apple, but this seems to have been the perfect situation to have a power button. Or at least make them go to sleep when you turn the earcaps sideways! although I don't care much for that one...

Or if they wanted to sell overpriced crap, they could've made them detect when they were placed laying down on their side and/or when someone sets them on a special "Made for Airpods Max" stand. (oo plus points if the stand charged the airpods wirelessly!)

While we're at it: They can't be serious about "being eco friendly" with that headband. The design doesn't allow you to easily swap the mesh out. Why?! Who thought this was a good idea?!
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gigapocket1 Avatar
gigapocket1
27 months ago

What is old is new again:


Wow.. Can't believe those were 99.99....
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S
syklee26
27 months ago
Lower cost AirPods..... would the sound chip be sold separately?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bLackjackj Avatar
bLackjackj
27 months ago
Too many SKU's for this and all Apple product these days! Remember when Steve came back and culled product lines,..its time! I've never seen so many product and product variations like we have now.

For goodness sakes Apple, Steve would be angry. Just have 1 low end, 1 high end,..remove ALL old product. It's crazy that Apple keeps this and all other product waste collecting dust on its store shelves. Cut the SKU's!

It's time for Jeff Williams to take the reigns, after Tim Cook wasted 10 Billion dollars on a non-existent prototype.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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