If you believe the rumors, then Apple is on the cusp of launching brand new AirPods before the end of this year. The killer new feature? Noise-cancellation.
And this is one rumor that the rumor mill will not give up on by any means. The latest report comes from the Chinese Economic Daily News (via MacRumors). According to the publication, Apple is indeed planning on launching a pair of truly wireless headphones with noise-cancellation to be called “AirPods Pro”, and they will be available in up to eight different colors.
Those colors would include black, the familiar white, and even a Midnight Green option, too. That is a brand new color that Apple introduced with the iPhone 11 Pro, and would probably be a welcomed addition (like any other additional colors for that matter).
The report also states that the AirPods Pro will boast active noise-cancellation, as expected. They should also be water-resistant as well. This report echoes some other rumors that have cropped up in the past, saying that Apple plans on getting this new iteration of the AirPods out in time for the holiday season. Indeed, the report states that Apple could announce the new AirPods Pro sometime next week.
For what it’s worth, this is not the first time that AirPods have been rumored to launch in a new color. It’s been rumored multiple times in the past that Apple was planning to launch a pair of black AirPods, but, as we all know by now, that hasn’t happened just yet. It’s been said that the new color option has been delayed, at least once, so it may seem hard to believe that Apple is going to launch eight new color options all in one go.
But it’s not impossible by any means. And it’s also not in the realm of impossibility that these new colors see the light of day sometime after the AirPods Pro launch — they might not all be available on day one.
The AirPods Pro, if that’s what Apple does indeed call them, will boast the aforementioned noise-cancellation and water resistance, along with a slight redesign to accommodate the changes. The new design may feature rubber ear tips, which will make it so the AirPods Pro fit deeper into the ear than the standard AirPods. We’ve seen that new design surfaced by iOS 13.2 itself.
It would also require a design change to the wireless charging case, which has already been hinted at as well.
Along with the new design and the new features, a new price point is also expected. Rumor has it these new AirPods will retail for around $260 when they launch in time for the holiday season.
None of this is guaranteed, of course. Not even the expected announcement next week. There were plenty of rumors suggesting Apple was planning to host a late-October event, where new AirPods would be unveiled alongside new iPad Pro and MacBook Pro Models, but that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.
Honestly, while these have been oft-requested features, just announcing the new AirPods in a press release makes sense. Even if there are eight new colors to choose from.
What do you think? Are you expecting Apple to launch noise-cancelling AirPods before the end of 2019? Or do you think we’ll see them sometime in early 2020? Let us know in the comments below.