Apple is working on $99 AirPods, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo revealed in his latest investor note. The company will bring the affordable earphones in the second half of 2024 and may even delay them further to the first half of 2025. Around the same time, we will also see the second generation of AirPods Max – Apple’s wireless overhead headphones.
The team at Cupertino is currently in the process of switching suppliers for AirPods assembly, Kuo added. Hon Teng (FIT), a Foxconn subsidiary, is taking over from Goertek, which will bring “significant benefits” to the company. It will also share the assembly process with Luxshare ICT for AirPods Max production.
Currently, the most affordable AirPods are the 2nd generation version at £139/$129/€159. To bring the price down, Apple will likely shave off some features like the Apple H1 chip. There’s also the possibility of relaunching AirPods with a new moniker, similar to how Apple revamps its discontinued iPhones to create the iPhone SE 2nd gen.
