AirPods will get USB-C charging cases in 2023, Kuo says

Apple could release AirPods charging cases equipped with USB-C ports for all of its wireless headphones in 2023, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Kuo made the prediction in a new tweet on Tuesday, though he said that a second-generation AirPods Pro model launched in 2022 would still ship with a Lightning charging case.

I predict Apple will launch USB-C-capable charging cases for all AirPods models in 2023. However, the charging case of the new AirPods Pro 2 launched in 2H22 may still support Lightning.
— (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) August 9, 2022

It isn't clear if Apple will sell USB-C charging cases separately, or just begin shipping them with new orders.

The switch to USB-C is likely driven by a new European Union regulation that will require the port standard on iPhone and AirPods models starting in 2024. That law, aimed at reducing e-waste and boosting interoperability, was passed earlier in 2022.

Back in May, Kuo also forecast that Apple would release USB-C iPhone 15 models in 2023. He added that the switch could improve data transfer speeds and charging speeds, but noted that the exact specification will depend on software support.

Apple's second-generation AirPods Pro are rumored to sport a rounded, stemless design with a new H2 processor, lossless audio support, and improved on-device intelligence. It could launch late in 2022.

8 Comments

Skeptical 8 Years · 183 comments

About 2 years ago

Can anyone verify his “sayings”? It seems that he sits in his office and pontificates from in high.

moiety 3 Years · 6 comments

Skeptical said:

Can anyone verify his “sayings”? It seems that he sits in his office and pontificates from in high.

You must be new to the storied world of the Apple Rumor Mill. There's a reason Ming-Chi Kuo is perhaps the most reputable analyst in the field (other than display analyst Ross Young). He has an established record of a decade+, which is available to you through a five-second Google search. He does not "pontificate" – he reports. He is not up "high" – he is down on the ground, with his sources, which he knows intimately, being based in the part of Asia where the components for Apple devices are sourced and manufactured.

That said, most so-called "analysts" are indeed full of 💩, and don't know anything about anything – but Kuo is notable enough of an exception that his name deserves immediate recognition, and disassociation from the general horseshit associated with the "analyst" moniker.

kiehtan 9 Years · 40 comments

Meh, I've never plugged my AirPod Pro case in anyway. Lightening, USB, whatever. I wish the AppleTV remote and smart mouse charged wirelessly.

wood1208 10 Years · 2938 comments

By choice or by force from European regulation ? Either way, all good.

entropys 13 Years · 4316 comments

That would be annoying if true. I refused to buy the USBc only MacBook and MacBook pros back in the day, but acceptance of USBc is finally improving. Only now is time to switch, but it is time.