Third-Gen AirPods With AirPods Pro Design to Cost $200 and Launch in First Half of 2021

[duervo]

I tested the AirPod Pro & it’s a crap device that is limited to 250kbps sound latency. Terrible for humanity for Apple to impose these devices and take away the 3.5mm jack.

I used the Shure SE535 with the BT2 Bluetooth 5.0 connector and even though it is capped at 250kbps the sound spectrum is wider and has much more engaging highs & mids along with better bass as well. I can slip the SE846 on there, but I keep those on pure silver custom cables playing 6,000kbps Vinyl tracks only.

All people who use AirPods, AirPod Pros & the new Pro Max have been brainwashed by Apple’s marketing department to believe 250 is a bigger number than 320.

Even the 3.5mm Apple Headphones have a greater sound spectrum that the AirPod Pro does. Other than Pornography, these devices are the biggest scourge in all of humanity. They are the catalyst for communism, and forced indoctrination on the masses of low quality audio packaged as being superior. The original iPod that Steve Jobs created has better sound than the iPhone 12 Pro...& I’ve tested it.

We will not be genocided out of existence. Humanity deserves to have good audio, and Apple has become the machine from the 1984 commercial. I am here to throw a sledgehammer into their screen and wake people up!!

However I believe it is too late, and too many have given into deviancy and have turned their back on the creator. So I’ll climb the tallest mountains in the world and when I’m at the top I’ll look up and think about the satellites which imprison all of you peasants on the ground below into never being able to achieve your goals in life and being enslaved to 250kbps audio and living in audio hell for all of eternity with Bluetooth audio.

“terrible for humanity...”

Seriously? I think humanity will get along ok without a 3.5mm headphone jack and “250kbps sound latency.”

 

[sonicrobby]

The only reason I went for the pro was because of the noise cancellation feature. Give me the choice between the old airpods vs the lite, Ill take the old ones. Much prefer carrying those around, especially comparing the prices. The lite vs the pro at 200 vs 250, the pro seems like a no brainer for the features

 

[psac]

I got the Pros for $199 on Black Friday, so this really doesn't make a lot of sense. I can see the existing Pros going down to $200, and then the next gen Pro2 keeping the $250 price.

For sure the Pros do sound better, even for calls, which is basically my only usage right now working from home, but I agree with everyone saying the old school Air Pods are better for ear comfort. I would hate to see that design go away.

 

[Scipster]

Well, if that’s the case I might as well just replace my first gen with the second gen when they’re on sale for cheap again. $200 is too much, was hoping they’d be the same price as second gen or even cheaper. Should’ve known better.

Agreed, I might stock up if Apple is planning to raise the price on its entry level AirPods.

 

[Xultar]

Anyone that has problems with wearing true in-ears is going to be mighty pissed.

Regular AirPods were just about last best sounding and most comfortable no-so-in-ear-in-ear wireless headphones out there.

My wife is not impressed at all. She simply can't do on-head, or in-ears.

If I was in the market for AirPods though, $50 doesn't sound like enough incentive to go with a "lite" version of the pro's

I cannot do In Ears they make my ear canals itch. I think i will buy another set of AirPod 2nd Gen.

 

[Ingster]

TBH i've got weird ears, most in-ear headphones (including beats) don't fit at all, the best fit I had was the bose style which made me use them for so long to use on my commute, I bought the airpods 1st gen when I ended up ripping out the earphone cable for my bose QC20's - damn door handles. So i wore them for my first commute and every few seconds i'd be pushing them back in, I tried everything but decided to use them at home only (didn't want to lose them) bought a pair of wireless bose and stuck to that, until I got my airpod pros, these i'd thought i'd try as i liked the option of the ANC and passthrough well from day one i've had them and used them every day, they are perfect for my dodgy ears and i'd love to get another pair when they wear out. I have looked at the max ... maybe next gen!

 

[imnotthewalrus]

Same here. Hate in-ear or on-ear headphones as well. Gives me ear channel irritation or painfull ears as after a while.

No problems with the regular Airpods.

Apple why ?

Same. I have a pair of 2nd Gen that I bought with the iPhone 11. Hopefully, like they do with iPhone, Apple will continue to offer the 2nd Gen when the 3rd Gen is released.

 

[Zammir]

The Pro design doesn't fit my ears.

So unless Apple offers the original design again I won't ever be an airpods customer again. Pity.

SAME

 

[macduke]

Hopefully they just add this as a middle option. My wife doesn't like in-ears at all, and she's certainly not willing to pony up for AirPods Max and their heavy, clunky design. But if the standard AirPods go up to $199, then that makes me think the next AirPods Pro will be more like $299. At least it seems like the AirPods are on sale about half the time, lol.

 

[Joshua Scott Collard]

I’m in that boat. AirPod pros with the tips do not fit my ears

I know it defeats the design and likely voids the argument, but I bought some foam ear tips and it’s a world of difference.

 

[Lemon Olive]

I tested the AirPod Pro & it’s a crap device that is limited to 250kbps sound latency. Terrible for humanity for Apple to impose these devices and take away the 3.5mm jack.

I used the Shure SE535 with the BT2 Bluetooth 5.0 connector and even though it is capped at 250kbps the sound spectrum is wider and has much more engaging highs & mids along with better bass as well. I can slip the SE846 on there, but I keep those on pure silver custom cables playing 6,000kbps Vinyl tracks only.

All people who use AirPods, AirPod Pros & the new Pro Max have been brainwashed by Apple’s marketing department to believe 250 is a bigger number than 320.

Even the 3.5mm Apple Headphones have a greater sound spectrum that the AirPod Pro does. Other than Pornography, these devices are the biggest scourge in all of humanity. They are the catalyst for communism, and forced indoctrination on the masses of low quality audio packaged as being superior. The original iPod that Steve Jobs created has better sound than the iPhone 12 Pro...& I’ve tested it.

We will not be genocided out of existence. Humanity deserves to have good audio, and Apple has become the machine from the 1984 commercial. I am here to throw a sledgehammer into their screen and wake people up!!

However I believe it is too late, and too many have given into deviancy and have turned their back on the creator. So I’ll climb the tallest mountains in the world and when I’m at the top I’ll look up and think about the satellites which imprison all of you peasants on the ground below into never being able to achieve your goals in life and being enslaved to 250kbps audio and living in audio hell for all of eternity with Bluetooth audio.

FYI - nothing stops anyone from listening to 24-bit audio via the Lightning port with the right headphones and the right app and the right content. Been doing it for years.

 

[lederermc]

I tested the AirPod Pro & it’s a crap device that is limited to 250kbps sound latency. Terrible for humanity for Apple to impose these devices and take away the 3.5mm jack.

I used the Shure SE535 with the BT2 Bluetooth 5.0 connector and even though it is capped at 250kbps the sound spectrum is wider and has much more engaging highs & mids along with better bass as well. I can slip the SE846 on there, but I keep those on pure silver custom cables playing 6,000kbps Vinyl tracks only.

All people who use AirPods, AirPod Pros & the new Pro Max have been brainwashed by Apple’s marketing department to believe 250 is a bigger number than 320.

Even the 3.5mm Apple Headphones have a greater sound spectrum that the AirPod Pro does. Other than Pornography, these devices are the biggest scourge in all of humanity. They are the catalyst for communism, and forced indoctrination on the masses of low quality audio packaged as being superior. The original iPod that Steve Jobs created has better sound than the iPhone 12 Pro...& I’ve tested it.

We will not be genocided out of existence. Humanity deserves to have good audio, and Apple has become the machine from the 1984 commercial. I am here to throw a sledgehammer into their screen and wake people up!!

However I believe it is too late, and too many have given into deviancy and have turned their back on the creator. So I’ll climb the tallest mountains in the world and when I’m at the top I’ll look up and think about the satellites which imprison all of you peasants on the ground below into never being able to achieve your goals in life and being enslaved to 250kbps audio and living in audio hell for all of eternity with Bluetooth audio.

Then don't buy them.

 

[NT1440]

I tested the AirPod Pro & it’s a crap device that is limited to 250kbps sound latency. Terrible for humanity for Apple to impose these devices and take away the 3.5mm jack.

I used the Shure SE535 with the BT2 Bluetooth 5.0 connector and even though it is capped at 250kbps the sound spectrum is wider and has much more engaging highs & mids along with better bass as well. I can slip the SE846 on there, but I keep those on pure silver custom cables playing 6,000kbps Vinyl tracks only.

All people who use AirPods, AirPod Pros & the new Pro Max have been brainwashed by Apple’s marketing department to believe 250 is a bigger number than 320.

Even the 3.5mm Apple Headphones have a greater sound spectrum that the AirPod Pro does. Other than Pornography, these devices are the biggest scourge in all of humanity. They are the catalyst for communism, and forced indoctrination on the masses of low quality audio packaged as being superior. The original iPod that Steve Jobs created has better sound than the iPhone 12 Pro...& I’ve tested it.

We will not be genocided out of existence. Humanity deserves to have good audio, and Apple has become the machine from the 1984 commercial. I am here to throw a sledgehammer into their screen and wake people up!!

However I believe it is too late, and too many have given into deviancy and have turned their back on the creator. So I’ll climb the tallest mountains in the world and when I’m at the top I’ll look up and think about the satellites which imprison all of you peasants on the ground below into never being able to achieve your goals in life and being enslaved to 250kbps audio and living in audio hell for all of eternity with Bluetooth audio.

Dude, I listen to podcasts and occasionally music when I’m riding a bike. I don’t give one rats ass about your precious bitrate. AirPods were a game changer for me on day one and I’ve never plugged in anything else since them.

 

[Lemon Olive]

This definitely sucks. The regular AirPods fit me a ton better.

The designs are just...strange.

The EarPods design was the result of a massive study of 1000's of ears to find a style that was one-size-fits-most. They succeeded at that.

Then AirPods come along and its basically the same design...except not. They're bigger, and thicker. Presumably because they had to be, because of the internals. So while they sort of kept their well-researched design, they really didn't. AirPods take a while to become comfortable as they slowly expand your ears to fit.

Then AirPods Pro show up...with the strangest design yet. They take the design of the EarPods/AirPods which are 100% designed to simply fit in ears as-is...and slap a silicon tip on the end of it. How does that make any sense? How is that "designing in-ear headphones"? That isn't a design at all, its just a franken-pod. You can even tell just by looking at them that they don't look like they "fit" anyone. Sure they stick well enough because of silicon tip and the light weight. But they certainly could be designed a lot better.

The idea of AirPods Pro of the same design but with fewer features to replace the original AirPods design is bad, bad bad.

 

[Dominicanyor]

I don’t think I’ll be purchasing another AirPods Pro. I’m really enjoying the one i have. The sound is great!

 

[nutmac]

What I want the most from AirPods 3:

1. Longer battery life
2. Spatial Audio for Dolby surround sound
3. Redesigned to resemble AirPods Pro for improved acoustics, but without the Ear Tips
4. U1 for more precise Find My AirPods
5. More colors, especially black
6. AirPods Pro style charger with MagSafe charging

 

[myrtlebee]

No thanks. I don’t like things that far into my ear canals. I prefer the original AirPods design.

 

[Christian 5G]

I just had my originals AirPods Pro I bought on launch replaced completely by apple for free (ac+) due to cracking and honestly I think these AirPods Pro should be replaced every year as they seem to be going bad rather quick.

 

[mach]

Not a fan of this, I prefer the tap controls of the standard airpods to the Squeeze, much easier to do a broader tap gesture while running / biking etc.

 

[strayts]

Man Apple is just out of their minds in terms of pricing.

 

[ryanflanders256]

Meh.

 

[Mark Holmes]

I better buy another pair of gen 2 AirPods as that design is much better in comfort and use than my AirPod pros. I am fortunate to have both an AirPod and AirPod Pro sitting on my desk for use. The only reason I ever pickup the Pro is if I need noise cancellation and for a short wear duration. I also really dislike the pro’s touch interface vs the Aipod’s tap. The Pros are a downgrade in every way for me, not going to pay more for that.

This. Exactly.

 

[Darth Tulhu]

Come on apple, stick to Steve Jobs minimalistic simplicity principles. This is getting ridiculous

I think that more choice at different price points is good.

I'm a big fan of the "SE" line and Apple should continue that.

In my mind the current AirPods should have been the SE ones, and then the Pro should have been the "just AirPods" and the (I HATE the name ) Max should have been the Pro.

Even so, I think that Apple's establishing those three tiers in their products is both fiscally sound for the company and beneficial for the consumers.

And it actually fits the old Apple paradigm of "good, better, best".

It's not 1998 anymore. Steve saved Apple and set it up for growth. Tim's doing what he is supposed to, and doing it well (my hardware features and/or branding objections aside).

EDIT: I think some cleanup is required... We have SE, Standard, Air, Pro, Pro Max. I believe it should just be SE, Standard, and Pro, but that's just me.

 

[Manatee]

More business for complyfoam.com when these fall out of users' ears, like my AirPods Pro were falling out of mine.

 

[turbineseaplane]

The idea for AirPods of the same design but will fewer features to replace the original AirPods design is bad, bad bad.

Very very very bad

Please Apple - don't do this.

The EarPod and AirPod 1/2 design (close to the same) is simply phenomenal for so so so many of us.
If we wanted a tip jammed in our ear canal, many of us would have gone to Pro's already.

There are many use cases where the semi-open nature of AirPod 1/2 are VASTLY superior.