This article has been indexed from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors – Front Page
Apple is developing second-generation AirPods Pro to follow the AirPods 3, with the new earbuds set to come out in 2022. We’ve heard little about the next-generation AirPods Pro so far, but a rumor from Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman has suggested they could be stemless.
MacRumors has now received alleged images of the second-generation AirPods Pro that contradict the stemless design rumors, but they’re from a source (“Xerxes”) without an established track record and we can’t verify their accuracy. The person who provided the images to us said that they come from an “Apple internal source,” and the person declined to provide additional information.
The AirPods Pro in the photos features the same design as the original AirPods Pro, with the exception of a missing optical sensor toward the underside of each earbud. Apple has moved from optical sensors to a skin-detect sensor in the AirPods 3, so it’s possible the AirPods Pro 2 will follow suit in that regard.
Beyond the earbuds themselves, there are more obvious differences in the case. There are speaker holes at the bottom, which is an unusual choice for an AirPods casing design. The source who provided the images says that these speaker holes are being introduced because in iOS 16, Apple will be adding a new feature where “Find My will be available for the case and buds separately.” The speaker holes will let the case play a sound to allow it to be located.
The case also depicts a metal loop at the side, which is meant to be for attaching a strap, but Apple has not used this design for any of its other AirPod models and it is unclear why it would be added in this instance. That said, it does not seem out of the realm of possibility that Apple would add a strap.
