Rumors have been circulating for months about the possibility of Apple introducing AirPods with a USB-C-compatible charging case, but we haven’t heard anything this definite until now. However, we still don’t know whether the AirPods Pro will get the USB-C charging case, too, and Gurman doesn’t specify.
In 2022, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that Apple would introduce AirPods with a USB-C charging case sometime this year. It’s also not clear whether Apple will make any significant changes to the AirPods themselves aside from the new case. Kuo said earlier this year that Apple may ship its fourth-generation AirPods in the second half of 2024 or the first half of 2025, alongside a rumored $99 pair of AirPods and the second-gen AirPods Max. That timeline suggests we may just be in for a case update.
Apple’s iPhone 15 event — called Wonderlust — will take place on September 12th. In addition to AirPods that support USB-C, Apple is expected to include a USB-C port on all its iPhone 15 models in order to comply with the European Union’s incoming regulations. Apple could take the wraps off of a Watch Series 9 and a second-gen Watch Ultra as well.