Apple is developing a pocket-friendly AirPods variant: report

Apple is reportedly working on “Airpods Lite”. The company currently offers four different AirPods models, ranging from the updated AirPods Max to the second generation AirPods. Also, while AirPods have become very popular, they don’t exactly come cheap. Therefore, the tech giant is said to be working on a new variant to compete with cheaper wireless earbuds. The starting price of Apple AirPods Pro in India is Rs 15,899. Although they are very popular accessories, the demand for AirPods is expected to decrease by 2023.

according to a report From 9to5Mac, Jeff Pu, an analyst at Haitong Intl Tech Research, claims that Apple has started developing “AirPods Lite”. The analyst reportedly believes AirPods shipments will fall from 73 million units in 2022 to 63 million in 2023. This is said to be partly due to “soft demand for AirPods 3” and the possibility that Apple won’t launch any new AirPods this year.

Although Pu wrote in a note that the “lower-priced product” allegedly competes with non-Apple earbuds, it is currently unknown what exactly this product is and what features it will offer. The report notes that Apple kept the previous version AirPods 2 in stock at a cheaper price of $129 (approximately Rs. 10,691) after the launch of AirPods 3 in 2021, while AirPods 3 cost $169 (roughly Rs.14,006). These “AirPods Lite” will likely be cheaper than $129 (about Rs.10,691) in price. Apple could also just lower the cost of the second-gen AirPods even further, perhaps to $99 (about Rs8,205), as another possibility.

The second generation AirPods Pro was released by Apple in 2022 with a number of improvements including better noise cancellation and a new charging case, as well as the U1 chip for Precision Finding.

There is still no speculation about Apple’s regular AirPods and even the more expensive ones AirPods max Headphones will be getting an update soon. In India, the Apple AirPods Max were first introduced in December 2020. Even though the AirPods Max 2 aren’t even out yet, Apple received a patent from the US Patent and Trademark Office in 2022 that could allude to a new AirPods Max smart case. Allegedly, the new housing could contain an access to the interior for the headphones. According to the report, a magnetic closure could also be added to the new case.