The AirPods Professional ought to undertake USB-C charging this 12 months however don’t anticipate the third-generation AirPods to choose up a USB-C model of its charging case earlier than 2024.
- What’s occurring? A brand new model of the AirPods Professional with a USB-C charging case may drop later this 12 months, however there shall be no USB-C AirPods 3 in 2023.
- Why care? As Apple transitions from Lightning, you’ll want the precise cables and energy adapters to cost your units through USB-C.
- What to do? Try our roundup of the featured USB-C chargers. As you’ll be coping with USB-C and Lightning within the transitional interval, you should definitely additionally try our number of the featured 3-in-1 USB cables.
AirPods Professional with a USB-C charging case arriving in 2023
Famous business analyst Ming-Chi Kuo mentioned on Twitter that Apple will solely equip its noise-canceling AirPods Professional earbuds with a USB-C model of the case. As for the second and third-generation AirPods, these will retain the Lightning port on their charging case, as Kuo isn’t anticipating any updates on that entrance this 12 months.
Based on Kuo’s tweet, Apple “at the moment seems to don’t have any plans for USB-C variations of the AirPods 2 and three.” That doesn’t imply Apple will proceed promoting Lightning-equipped AirPods into 2024 and past, particularly not with the EU ruling mandating USB-C charging on all shopper devices by the top of 2024.
I feel that is seemingly the USB-C model of the AirPods Professional 2, with mass shipments anticipated in 2Q23-3Q23. By the best way, Apple at the moment seems to don’t have any plans for USB-C variations of the AirPods 2 & 3.
我覺得這應該是AirPods Professional… https://t.co/aWKJvGh1lW
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) March 24, 2023
“I feel that is seemingly the USB-C model of the AirPods Professional 2, with mass shipments anticipated within the second and third quarter of 2023,” Kuo wrote.
“By the best way, Apple at the moment seems to don’t have any plans for USB-C variations of the AirPods 2 and three.” His tweet is a response to the current findings within the iOS 16.4 code revealing references to unreleased AirPods with the mannequin quantity A3048 and a brand new AirPods case with the mannequin quantity A2968.
Common AirPods to get USB-C charging in 2024?
By the top of 2024, Apple will launch a fourth-generation AirPods with a USB-C charging case within the field. As for the upcoming AirPods Professional replace, we wouldn’t anticipate any new options past a USB-C charging case if we had been you.
Kuo is usually dependable when predicting Apple’s future strikes however much less when it comes to timeframes. In August 2022, for instance, Kuo mentioned that all AirPods fashions would achieve USB-C charging in 2023. Against this, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is adamant that all the AirPods—the common fashions and the AirPods Professional and AirPods Max—would undertake USB-C charging by the top of 2024.
As well as, Apple can be anticipated to ditch Lightning and undertake USB-C on its Magic equipment for the Mac and the MagSafe Battery Pack accent for the iPhone subsequent 12 months. The brand new European laws requires that each one devices bought throughout the European Union present charging through the ever-present USB-C customary.
Corporations are anticipated to adjust to the mandate by December 28, 2024.
