Apple Reportedly Not Planning to Release USB-C Version of AirPods 3

Apple has no plans to release a new version of the third-generation AirPods with a USB-C port, despite intending to do so with a new version of the second-generation AirPods Pro later this year, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said.


In a tweet, Kuo explained that Apple "currently appears to have no plans for USB-C versions of the AirPods 2 & 3." The decision is notable since Apple is apparently planning to release a revised version of the second-generation ‌AirPods Pro‌ with a USB-C port later this year. Kuo's comment likely suggests that Apple is holding off for the fourth-generation AirPods to offer a USB-C port on the device.

Apple has released new versions of AirPods charging cases twice in the past to add new hardware features such as wireless charging and MagSafe. A new, mid-cycle version of the second-generation ‌AirPods Pro‌'s charging case to switch to a USB-C port is therefore in line with the company's past behavior.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman believes that all three AirPods models could switch to USB-C by the end of 2024, hastened by EU legislation that forces manufacturers to offer USB-C as a common charging port across a wide range of devices.
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Kuo: AirPods Pro With USB-C Charging Case to Launch Later This Year

Apple plans to release second-generation AirPods Pro with a USB-C charging case later this year, with mass shipments expected to begin in the second to third quarter, according to information shared today by Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.


The second-generation AirPods Pro launched in September 2022 with a Lightning charging case. The updated version of the second-generation AirPods Pro would have a USB-C charging case instead, but it's unclear if any other hardware changes are planned. Kuo believes references to new AirPods discovered in the iOS 16.4 Release Candidate earlier this week are related to the USB-C version of the AirPods Pro.

Around two years after the original AirPods Pro launched, Apple started selling the headphones with a MagSafe-compatible charging case, so there is precedent for a mid-cycle charging case update. Unfortunately, the MagSafe case was not sold on a standalone basis, and it's unclear if the USB-C case will be sold separately.

The current version of the AirPods Pro charging case features a built-in speaker that can play a sound when the case is misplaced, an opening to attach a lanyard, a U1 chip for Find My support, and newly added compatibility with the Apple Watch charger.

All four iPhone 15 models coming later this year are expected to be equipped with a USB-C port, so it makes sense for the AirPods Pro charging case to switch to USB-C as well. Apple already switched the Apple TV's Siri Remote from Lightning to USB-C last year and other accessories like the MagSafe Battery Pack are rumored to follow eventually.

Kuo added that Apple currently has no plans to release USB-C charging cases for the second-generation or third-generation AirPods. This suggests the standard AirPods may not have a USB-C charging case until a fourth-generation pair are released. Apple released the third-generation AirPods in October 2021.
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iPhone 15 Dynamic Island to Include New Integrated Proximity Sensor

This year, all iPhone 15 models will include Apple's Dynamic Island that unifies the pill and hole cutouts at the top of the display, but there will also be a material change to the feature that wasn't included in the iPhone 14 Pro models.


According to a new tweet by Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the proximity sensor on the ‌iPhone 15‌ series will be integrated inside the ‌Dynamic Island‌ area, instead of sitting below it.

In the iPhone 14 Pro, the proximity sensor is located under the display (outside the Dynamic Island). Conversely, in the iPhone 15 series, the proximity sensor is situated within the Dynamic Island, with almost no change to the Dynamic Island area.

The proximity sensor detects when the user holds the phone up to their ear and shuts off the screen. It's possible that moving the location of the sensor could be related to improvements to Face ID, but as Kuo says, the tweak is unlikely to result in any difference to the look or functionality of the ‌Dynamic Island‌. Regardless, it will mark a change in components that may have simply been instigated to reduce costs.

According to Kuo, Apple supplier Finisar will shift to providing Apple with 940nm wavelength proximity sensors, compared to 1380nm for the ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌. Based on additional information provided to MacRumors by leaker Unknownz21, the new proximity sensor is now part of the Single Pearl Module, codenamed "Sphinx."

Apple is expected to launch the ‌iPhone 15‌ lineup in September as usual. For everything we know about what's new in the new models, be sure to check out our dedicated roundups using the links below.
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Kuo: Apple to Launch Redesigned HomePod With 7-Inch Display in 2024

Apple will release a redesigned HomePod with a 7-inch display in the first half of 2024, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.


In a brief post on Medium, Kuo wrote that the next-generation ‌HomePod‌'s display could facilitate deeper integration with Apple's other hardware products.

Tianma apparently will be a beneficiary of Apple's "revamped smart home strategy," becoming the sole supplier of the redesigned ‌HomePod‌'s display. If its participation in manufacturing the new ‌HomePod‌ goes well, Tianma may be entrusted to supply iPad panels in the future.

In 2021, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman was first to suggest that Apple is working on new ‌HomePod‌ models with displays and cameras. He has also reported that Apple is working on multi-touch functionality for the ‌HomePod‌. In the long term, Apple is believed to be rethinking its smart home strategy and is reportedly working on a combined Apple TV and HomePod device, as well as a HomePod with a screen mounted on a robotic arm. The ‌HomePod‌ already runs a variant of tvOS, but there are some indications that Apple is working on a new "homeOS" platform.
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Kuo: iPhone 15 Pro Models to Feature Improved LiDAR Scanner

Sony will replace Lumentum and WIN Semi as the exclusive supplier of LiDAR Scanner components for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, according to the latest information shared by reputable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.


In a series of tweets today, Kuo said Sony's time-of-flight VCSEL has lower power consumption than those from Apple's existing suppliers. This would result in the LiDAR Scanner being more power efficient on the iPhone 15 Pro models, which Kuo said could either contribute to longer battery life or allow for the LiDAR Scanner to offer improved performance at the same level of power consumption as on existing iPhones.

Kuo said the improved LiDAR Scanner could benefit camera features, like Night mode and autofocus, as well as augmented reality uses. First introduced on iPhone 12 Pro models in 2020, the LiDAR Scanner can measure light distance and capture depth information, and the hardware is expected to remain exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro models.
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Kuo: Apple to Launch High-End and Low-End Versions of Second-Generation Headset in 2025

Apple's cheaper second-generation AR/VR headset will come in two high-end and low-end models, according to Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.


Writing in a new Medium post summarizing his latest survey findings and predictions, Kuo says both models will likely arrive in 2025.

Apple's second-generation AR/MR headset has two high-end and low-end models. The high-end and low-end will be developed and produced by Luxcaseict and Foxconn, respectively. The current launch schedule for both models will likely be in 2025.

Apple's long-rumored AR/VR headset has yet to be announced, but a report earlier this week claimed that the company's manufacturing partner Foxconn is already developing a cheaper second-generation version of the headset.

That report said Apple's first headset will be "extremely expensive," with industry estimates ranging from $3,000 to $5,000, while Apple's second-generation headset will have a more affordable price within the territory of "a high-end Mac computer." Now it seems Apple is planning a two-tiered series of the second-generation device to appeal to a wider customer base, similar to the way it offers both standard and more premium Pro-branded iPhones each year.

In his latest report, Kuo says that Pegatron is gradually withdrawing from Apple's headset business, and will likely transfer its AR/MR development team and production resources to Luxcaseict (a joint venture between Luxshare ICT and Pegatron), led by Luxshare ICT, in the first half of 2023.

This will see Luxshare ICT taking over the subsequent design and production of the high-end version of the second-generation headset. Such changes will lead to "the subsequent acceleration of reducing the cost of the headset, which is what Apple expects," adds Kuo.

Apple's plans to release a cheaper version of its AR/VR headset were first reported last month by The Information's Wayne Ma and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The headset would supposedly use more affordable components, such as lower-resolution lenses.

According to The Information, "significant" work on the second-generation device started last year, and at the time, the goal was to launch the cheap headset in 2024. Bloomberg previously reported that Apple's budget mixed reality headset could arrive in either 2024 or 2025.

Apple's first headset is expected to be announced at WWDC in June and will reportedly have over a dozen cameras, dual 4K lenses, advanced eye and hand tracking, and many other advanced features. As for software, the device is said to have an iOS-like interface with a grid of apps.

In a follow-up tweet to his latest Medium blog, Kuo said his prediction for the mass shipment schedule of the first-generation headset is unchanged, but the likelihood of it being released at a spring event this year is decreasing. However, Kuo also said that the probability of the headset's launch alongside the iPhone 15 in the third quarter of this year "is rising."
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Kuo: Development on Apple-Designed Wi-Fi Chip Paused 'for a While'

Apple has paused work on the Wi-Fi chip that it has in development, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today. The development of the Apple-designed Wi-Fi chip has been "halted" at the current time, and Kuo says Apple will hold off "for a while."


That means that Apple supplier Broadcom will continue providing Apple with Wi-Fi chips for the foreseeable future, including supplying the chips for the upcoming iPhone 15 models that are set to be released in 2023.

News of Apple's work on a Wi-Fi chip first surfaced in January when Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple was working on a combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip that would replace components that are sourced from Broadcom. At the time, Gurman said that Apple was aiming to transition to its own chips starting in 2024, replacing Broadcom parts by 2025.

Note that the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip is separate from the 5G modem chip that Apple also has in development to replace technology from Qualcomm. Apple's ultimate goal is to produce many more of the iPhone's critical components in-house, reducing its reliance on third-party companies.

Eventually, Apple wants to create a chip that combines the cellular modem, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth functions into one, and the company is also working to replace the radio-frequency chips and chips for wireless charging that it gets from Qualcomm.

Kuo says that Apple's previous development for a Wi-Fi solution was a Wi-Fi only chip and not the rumored Wi-Fi and Bluetooth combo chip. The pairing of the two technologies is more challenging for Apple to do.

More specifically, Apple's previous development for Wi-Fi solution was the Wi-Fi-only chip and not the Wi-Fi+Bluetooth combo chip. From a design standpoint, developing a Wi-Fi+Bluetooth combo chip is more challenging than just a Wi-Fi-only chip. Since most of Apple's products use the combo chip, it would be even more challenging to replace Broadcom's combo chips with its own if Apple decides to do so.

Work on a Wi-Fi chip has been paused because Apple wants to focus its chip design resources on the advanced 3-nanometer chips that are set to power future iPhones and other devices. Kuo says that "insufficient development resources" are therefore delaying the mass production of not only Apple's 5G chip, but also the Wi-Fi chip.

Kuo believes that over the next two to three years, it will be risky for Apple to use its own Wi-Fi chips as standards are changing and Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 are being adopted. For now, Kuo thinks Apple will begin adopting Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 chips for its devices, with Broadcom to benefit.
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