AirPods Pro 2 set for 2022 launch as supplier shipments reportedly heat up

AirPods Pro 2 fix for 2022 launch as supplier shipments reportedly heat upwardly

(Image credit: MacRumors)

Update: AirPods pro 2 may be the rage, merely what near AirPods Max 2? A new patent has sparked speculation that the next Apple tree headphones could ditch the digital crown for touch gestures .

With the AirPods Pro set to turn iii after this twelvemonth, Apple is widely expected to unveil an AirPods Pro 2 sooner rather than afterward. At present a new study from DigiTimes has added credence to that, with the revelation that Apple has begun to step upwardly scrap orders from NOR Flash, one of its key suppliers.

While the report doesn't requite release date specifics, the usually correct Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has already filled in that item gap, predicting that AirPods Pro 2 volition arrive in the 4th quarter of this year with a serial of small only pregnant upgrades.

Along with the usual improvements to sound quality y'all tin expect from generational leaps, Kuo has stated that AirPods Pro two will probable be the commencement Apple buds to support lossless audio via the company's ALAC (Apple tree Lossless Sound Codec) format. On acme of that, we can apparently expect that these wireless earbuds will exist tougher to lose, with a case that tin apparently emit a sound to help yous runway it downwardly when misplaced.

Kuo has likewise backed upward the longstanding rumor that Apple tree volition introduce some kind of wellness tracking features to AirPods Pro 2. Whether that will exist for those without an Apple Lookout man or features to compliment the vesture'southward suite of fitness features remains to exist seen.

Finally, Kuo reports that we can expect a "new grade gene design," without elaborating on what that might mean in practice. Bloomberg's Marking Gurman says that AirPods Pro ii may ditch the stems altogether, which wouldn't be wholly surprising given the cheaper AirPods iii came out with a far shorter stalk than previous generations, suggesting Apple sees it every bit something that needs to be minimized.

That said, the simply purported AirPods Pro 2 images we've seen and then far bear witness earbuds that look much the same, albeit with a slightly modified instance. While the source is untested, the images practice show speaker holes in the case, which matches Kuo'south prediction, so in that location could well be something to it.

Any the time to come holds, AirPods Pro are long due an update, having first arrived on October xxx, 2019. While they still occupy the 2d spot on our listing of the best wireless earbuds you tin can purchase, competition is fierce, and three years is a long time for whatever tech visitor to stand withal, permit lonely Apple.

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, roofing phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the spider web and in the occasional magazine too. When non weighing upwards the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his ever-growing games excess. Or, more likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth time.