Affordable $99 AirPods expected to be released in 2024

Respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has reported that Apple is developing new versions of their AirPods products.

According to Kuo's tweet, there will be a new $99 model and an updated version of the luxury AirPods Max, but they are not expected to be available for shipping until the second half of 2024 or later.

If this information is accurate, the release of a $99 model would complete Apple's AirPods lineup as it would be the cheapest option available. Currently, the least expensive AirPods are the $130 AirPods 2 and $170 AirPods 3. Although the low-end AirPods have been considered excellent wireless earbuds, they lack certain features offered by competitors such as active noise cancelation. This feature is available in earbuds from competitors, like Amazon, for $120.

It is not confirmed whether the new $99 model will include Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), but it would be more reasonable to expect that it would not have this feature at that price point. It is possible that this new model will replace the AirPods 2 which was released in early 2019.

The AirPods Max, which are currently sold for $550, are highly regarded, but they have some drawbacks such as lack of headphone jack, comfort issues over long periods of use, and poor microphone quality. An updated version, which is expected to be released next year, would ideally address these issues and introduce new features.