Some of Apple’s hottest devices are part of its wearables unit. That includes products like the Apple Watch and the wireless Bluetooth AirPods. Speaking of the latter, we expect Apple to release a redesigned AirPods 3 sometime in the first half of next year. The AirPods 3 will reportedly have a design that resembles the AirPods Pro with a shorter stem, a longer in-ear portion, but without in-ear tips. Just because the new AirPods might share some of the design used for the premium “Pro” model doesn’t mean that it will include features like Active Noise Cancellation which is the standout feature of the pricier model. The lack of the in-ear tips is a solid hint that ANC will not be available with the AirPods 3.
Markings on the stem though, seem to indicate that the “pressure-sensitive touch” controls used with the AirPods Pro will also be deployed on the next version of the AirPods. Earlier this year, there was speculation that Apple was working on a “lite” version of the AirPods Pro without the Active Noise Cancellation and other “Pro” features. It now appears that the AirPods Pro Lite was actually the third-generation AirPods.
Yesterday, a site out of China named 52audio posted some images that allegedly show the redesigned AirPods 3. Translated into English, one image is said to show both an “earphone shell” and the “charging cockpit shell” for the third-gen “earable.” The other image, found at the top of this article, claims to be a render of the third-gen AirPods.
According to reliable TF International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the third-generation AirPods will use a compact system-in-package (SiP) similar to what is used by the AirPods Pro.With the SiP, Apple can fit a lot of technology into a small area which it something it needs for a product the size of the AirPods. Next year we also expect to see a sequel to the AirPods Pro possibly touching down around the second half of the year.
