In the past few months, there have been several rumors regarding the Apple AirPods Pro lineup receiving the USB-C upgrade.
And as we’re slowly marching towards the official annual autumn launch event, things regarding the rumor have started to clear up.
For those unaware, Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 15 series in the upcoming event. These new phones will finally ditch the proprietary Lightning connector, featuring USB-C on the bottom.
Apple decided to make this change to comply with the new EU regulations. They essentially force all the manufacturers to use one universal charging connection. For now, that universal charging connection is USB-C.
Nonetheless, regarding the Apple AirPods Pro, Mark Gurman from Bloomberg has confirmed that Apple is readying up to introduce USB-C for its wireless audio solutions.
Previously, Gurman has theorized that Apple would launch a USB-C charging case for the AirPods Pro lineup. According to Gurman’s theory, this launch would make the Apple AirPods Pro a perfect pair for the upcoming iPhone 15 with USB-C ports.
Well, it seems that Gurman’s predictions are likely to come true. It’s pretty much confirmed that the Apple iPhone 15 series will come with a more efficient USB-C port instead of a Lightning port.
With this, Apple would be pretty much set to comply with the regulations set by the EU before the 2024 deadline. Among the audio accessories, the Apple AirPods Pro 2 will be the first to come with USB-C before others.
But Apple is expected to do the same with the standard AirPods and the AirPods Max. Otherwise, the AirPods lineup won’t match with the upcoming Apple iPhone 15 series.
This would eventually mean that Apple users won’t need to carry more than one cable around. And as USB-C is already adopted by most phones, laptops, tablets, and accessories, you might finally be able to clear out the clutter from the table.
But it’s not just about the user experience that’ll see an upgrade with the introduction of USB-C in Apple devices. In addition to that, Mark Gurman claims that the data transfer speeds will increase in the new high-end iPhone models.
The case is pretty much the same for the charging speed. It’ll be faster than the current Lightning standard. However, Apple users with a Lightning-enabled charging setup will have to make a hard switch.
Even though Apple will likely include the new USB-C cable with the upcoming iPhone series and the new Apple AirPods Pro version, there’ll be no brick in the box.
And if the customers don’t already have one, they will need to get a USB-C charging brick. Also, Apple will lose the royalty revenue from exclusive licenses to the Lightning port given to third-party manufacturers.
Slava is a man of mystery and no-one seems to know exactly where he is at any point in time. When he isn't enjoying writing about all things audio and technical he can be found researching his next project of interest. The man never rests.