In a post on Twitter today, reputed Tianfeng International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims Apple has plans to unveil the second-generation AirPods Pro in the second half of this year. This corroborates his previous prediction as well.
Kuo speculates that the iPhone maker could discontinue the original AirPods Pro after the second-generation AirPods Pro debut to avoid botching its “product segmentation strategy.” He says it was a mistake on Apple’s part to continue selling the AirPods 2 after the AirPods 3 broke cover. It caused the demand for the newer AirPods 3 to dwindle because the company didn’t axe the cheaper and older model from its lineup. The analyst adds that Apple could avoid repeating the same mistake when introducing the second-generation AirPods Pro.
According to Kuo, consumers are “not willing” to shell out an additional $50 for the improvements the Cupertino giant bundled with the AirPods 3. He says that as a consequence of the sluggish demand, Apple is slashing its AirPods 3 orders by at least 30 percent in the third quarter of this year.
It could be a wake-up call for AirPods.
1. Consumers are not willing to spend an extra $50 for the new selling points of AirPods 3.
2. AirPods may only cost $249 at best without more innovative features. https://t.co/J56lBuvIfU— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) April 5, 2022
The AirPods Pro has been around since October 2019, making them two years old and ready for an upgrade. In a previous leak, Kuo shared that the upcoming second-generation AirPods Pro could boast a significantly upgraded wireless chip compared to the H1 chip in the current-generation AirPods Pro. He says that the battery life and active noise cancellation technology could improve as a result. He believes support for lossless Apple Music audio could be on the cards as well.
What would you want from the second-generation AirPods Pro? Tell us in the comments section.
