Mass production of two new AirPods models to start in May, targeting fall release
Summary
Via Mark Gurman in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Apple suppliers are gearing up to begin mass production of the new AirPods, starting in May. The higher-end of the pair will also sport active noise cancellation and Find My locating for the case, similar to AirPods Pro. They are intended to replace the current product lineup where Apple sells both the second-generation AirPods for $129, and the third-generation for $179 simultaneously. A new hardware generation of AirPods Pro is not expected to arrive until 2025, although some new software features are in the pipeline like a hearing aid mode. Then, attention will turn to WWDC in June where Apple will announce the next major versions of its operating systems, including iOS 18 for iPhone packed with new artificial intelligence features.