While everyone is expecting Apple to switch from Lightning to USB-C when it releases the iPhone 15 later this year, a new report suggests it might not be the only USB-C product to make an appearance in 2023. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple will also launch a USB-C version of the second-gen AirPods Pro Charging Case.
Kuo reports that the new case, which aligns with the model number that was spotted in the iOS 16.4 code, will ship in “2Q23-3Q23,” or between April and September. That means it could arrive alongside the iPhone 15 at the fall event and begin shipping in mid-September. Before the 2nd-gen model arrived, Apple previously updated the AirPods Pro case with MagSafe charging in October 2021.
The new case isn’t expected to bring any improvements other than the new port. The second-generation AirPods Pro case features a speaker and lanyard loop, and can also be charged with an Apple Watch charger.
Notably, Kuo also says Apple “currently appears to have no plans for USB-C versions” of its other AirPods cases for the 2nd- and 3rd-generation models. That could mean Apple is planning larger changes to those models than just a new case. (Apple is rumored to be releasing a lower-end AirPods Lite model for $99.) Or it’s possible that the USB-C case merely arrives with the next AirPods 3 update.
Author: Michael Simon, Executive Editor
Michael Simon has been covering Apple since the iPod was the iWalk. His obsession with technology goes back to his first PC—the IBM Thinkpad with the lift-up keyboard for swapping out the drive. He's still waiting for that to come back in style tbh.