Apple Reportedly Not Planning to Release USB-C Version of AirPods 3

[MacRumors]

Apple has no plans to release a new version of the third-generation AirPods with a USB-C port, despite intending to do so with a new version of the second-generation AirPods Pro later this year, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said.

Image via Ken Pillonel​

In a tweet, Kuo explained that Apple "currently appears to have no plans for USB-C versions of the AirPods 2 & 3." The decision is notable since Apple is apparently planning to release a revised version of the second-generation AirPods Pro with a USB-C port later this year. Kuo's comment likely suggests that Apple is holding off for the fourth-generation AirPods to offer a USB-C port on the device.

Apple has released new versions of AirPods charging cases twice in the past to add new hardware features such as wireless charging and MagSafe. A new, mid-cycle version of the second-generation AirPods Pro's charging case to switch to a USB-C port is therefore in line with the company's past behavior.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman believes that all three AirPods models could switch to USB-C by the end of 2024, hastened by EU legislation that forces manufacturers to offer USB-C as a common charging port across a wide range of devices.

Article Link: Apple Reportedly Not Planning to Release USB-C Version of AirPods 3

 

[iZac]

USB C AirPods 4 confirmed for 1st of January 2025?

Another great way to screw the lower end consumer by selling them a device with the legacy connector right up to the legal date they're forced to change it

EDIT: Well not screwed so much, just penalised in the future-proofing game.

 

[2shars2cents]

How does this affect Lebron’s legacy??

 

[Motawa]

obviously. usbc is a PRO feature

 

[segfaultdotorg]

Good! Everybody has a ton of Lightning cables, might as well keep using them. Switching to USB-C is bad for the environment because everyone will have to purchase new cables and throw the old ones away.

 

[NT1440]

USB C AirPods 4 confirmed for 1st of January 2025?

Another great way to screw the lower end consumer by selling them a device with the legacy connector right up to the legal date they're forced to change it

I bought Airpods 3 last weekend to replace my 2’s, knowing full well that everything is switching to C soon.

How did I get screwed?

 

[5232152]

Absolutely despicable.
Apple adorns itself with borrowed feathers when it calls itself environmentally friendly by prolonging this extension.
I hope the EU will ban the sales until they get their crap together.

 

[mrat93]

Good! Everybody has a ton of Lightning cables, might as well keep using them. Switching to USB-C is bad for the environment because everyone will have to purchase new cables and throw the old ones away.

If Apple cared about the environmental impact of people throwing away their cables, they would have switched to USB-C years ago, and switched other products over sooner. And also maybe sell/include more durable cables that last.

For every pair of AirPods sold today, that’s another Lightning cable in the trash in less than 5 years — we all know that neither AirPods or Apple cables last nearly that long when actively in use.

 

[chouseworth]

I just don’t think it’s a big deal. I already have enough lightning cables that if connected length to length would go from here to the moon.

 

[gpat]

More fragmentation for the iPhone 15. Still 2 cables needlessly needed. Yay!

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

"Don't retire your lightning cables yet!"

"From our cold, dead, revenue-maximizing hands."

"Where there's any added profit, Apple will go... or stay."

Etc.

 

[mrat93]

I bought Airpods 3 last weekend to replace my 2’s, knowing full well that everything is switching to C soon.

How did I get screwed?

You made an independent decision that you decided was worth the trade off. That doesn’t mean that this move is not brazenly anti-consumer in the grand scheme of things.

 

[Unggoy Murderer]

USB C AirPods 4 confirmed for 1st of January 2025?

Another great way to screw the lower end consumer by selling them a device with the legacy connector right up to the legal date they're forced to change it

You get a cable in the box with the AirPods, nobody is getting screwed.

 

[Realityck]

Well most buy AirPod Pro vs AirPods so that kinda makes sense against future charging case featuring USB-C. At least that what preferred with people I’ve talked with iPhones.

 

[Andres Cantu]

Great. Now we'll probably see lightning on the accessories for the M3 iMac this year and will have to wait until 2025 for USB-C accessories.

 

[gpat]

Apple is shooting themselves in the foot with this one, iPhone 15 buyers will ditch AirPods in favor of the Beats lineup or even of third-party competitors.

 

[Sydnxt]

Good! Everybody has a ton of Lightning cables, might as well keep using them. Switching to USB-C is bad for the environment because everyone will have to purchase new cables and throw the old ones away.

Or, crazy scenario, if Apple switched to USB-C years ago, they wouldn't need to manufacture lightning as they're the odds one out. Everything else uses USB-C.

Lightning needs to go away now, to stop more waste.

 

[sw1tcher]

If Apple cared about the environmental impact of people throwing away their cables, they would have switched to USB-C years ago, and switched other products over sooner. And also maybe sell/include more durable cables that last.

For every pair of AirPods sold today, that’s another Lightning cable in the trash in less than 5 years — we all know that neither AirPods or Apple cables last nearly that long when actively in use.

How do they not last when I'm still actively using the lightning cable that came with my iPhone SE which I purchased in Aug. 2016 to charge all my newer iPhones? And there's still not a single thing wrong with it.

 

[vegetassj4]

I want Thunderbolt 4 on my AirPods, so that I can listen faster.

 

[ignatius345]

Apple is shooting themselves in the foot with this one, iPhone 15 buyers will ditch AirPods in favor of the Beats lineup or even of third-party competitors.

Believe it or not, outside the echo chamber of online forums, I think most people don't give a rat's ass if their AirPods use the "wrong cable" to charge. People will just plug it in (using the cable every single iPhone on earth ships with) and move on with their lives. Or they'll just charge it wirelessly.

 

[blazerunner]

What is with Apple's pyschotic obsession with making USB-C as gimped as possible in their product line? Half their products dont have it requiring you to get dongles just to connect Apple's own products. WTF, when is Apple going to pull its head out of its ass?

 

[mrat93]

How do they not last when I'm still actively using the lightning cable that came with my iPhone SE which I purchased in Aug. 2016 to charge all my newer iPhones? And there's still not a single thing wrong with it.

You clearly take great care when using your phone while plugged in, and that’s great for you!

In reality, myself and many others that I know (and millions of others all over the world) end up having cables that fray after several months of use. Many keep using these cables to avoid paying for a new one. This can and does create a fire hazard.

You can say that people need to change their habits, or the industry can adapt to reality and make cables that don’t fray under normal use.

Just because it’s isn’t a problem for you, doesn’t mean that their cables aren’t notorious for fraying for a newsworthy amount of consumers.

 

[citysnaps]

I bought Airpods 3 last weekend to replace my 2’s, knowing full well that everything is switching to C soon.

How did I get screwed?

You didn't. Lightning is a far more mechanically robust connector, designed for frequent insertions/extractions, and is especially ideal for devices that do not need much charging current and don't need to transport high-speed data.

Many people just need something to moan about in order to feel better and have a better day.

 

[SmugMaverick]

No surprise there, as I said in the other thread, AirPods 4 will get USB C in 2024, and the Pro 2 will get them this year.

They're not going to make a new case for a product that will be replaced next year, while the Pro 2 is only 6 months old at the moment and should get the new case this summer/autumn.

 

[citysnaps]

You get a cable in the box with the AirPods, nobody is getting screwed.

Spot on.