'AirPods Pro Lite' production to start in late Q1, Early Q2
A low-cost version of the AirPods Pro will allegedly enter production very soon, as assembly partners of Apple are apparently preparing to commence manufacturing of the "AirPods Pro Lite" towards the end of the first quarter or at the start of the second quarter.

AirPods Pro
Rumors of a new model of AirPods dubbed the "AirPods Pro Lite" first surfaced a month ago, with production of the new personal audio accessories thought to have been affected by the coronavirus, pushing a launch later in 2020. In a report published on Thursday, it is suggested launch may not be too far away.
According to industry sources of DigiTimes in a paywalled story, production of the supposed entry-level AirPods Pro variant "is expected to kick off between the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second quarter." The sources are allegedly located within chip and component suppliers "engaged in the supply chain" for the device.
While production for the model may take place soon, it is not guaranteed that Apple will launch the model at around the same time. It is possible Apple would, in light of other production issues caused through the coronavirus outbreak, be interested in building up a sizable inventory before launching and releasing the model.
Few details have been offered about the device, except for its alleged -- and unlikely -- name of "AirPods Pro Lite" and its price being cheaper than the AirPods Pro. Specific features have yet to be determined, but speculation suggests it could offer some of the noise-cancelling capabilities of the Pro model, albeit in a reduced capacity.

AirPods Pro
Rumors of a new model of AirPods dubbed the "AirPods Pro Lite" first surfaced a month ago, with production of the new personal audio accessories thought to have been affected by the coronavirus, pushing a launch later in 2020. In a report published on Thursday, it is suggested launch may not be too far away.
According to industry sources of DigiTimes in a paywalled story, production of the supposed entry-level AirPods Pro variant "is expected to kick off between the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second quarter." The sources are allegedly located within chip and component suppliers "engaged in the supply chain" for the device.
While production for the model may take place soon, it is not guaranteed that Apple will launch the model at around the same time. It is possible Apple would, in light of other production issues caused through the coronavirus outbreak, be interested in building up a sizable inventory before launching and releasing the model.
Few details have been offered about the device, except for its alleged -- and unlikely -- name of "AirPods Pro Lite" and its price being cheaper than the AirPods Pro. Specific features have yet to be determined, but speculation suggests it could offer some of the noise-cancelling capabilities of the Pro model, albeit in a reduced capacity.
Comments
I like to call the knockoffs AirPods Pro Max because they're so huge.
I don't see a market for a "Lite" pro version. What could they remove from the current AirPod Pro that doesn't simply make them AirPods? ANC plus some passive noise cancellation due to their in-ear position are basically the only things that make them unique from the originals (well, there's that they're even uglier than the original).
I never had trouble with the original AirPods, but AirPod Pros keep falling out of my ears. Finally found a company that sold 3rd-party tips and they addressed the falling-out symptom. But the material used (memory foam) is also more uncomfortable than the silicone tips the Pros come with. I'd love to see ANC for the original AirPods. Maybe they won't cancel noise as well, but at least they weren't so chubby that their weight carried them out of the ear.
The functional differences between AirPods and AirPods Pro are noise canceling, active eq and water resistance. The price difference between AirPods with a wireless charging case and AirPods Pro (that all come with a wireless charging case) is $50. (The price difference between AirPods with a wireless charging case and AirPods with a wired-only charging case is $40.) The article speculates that the "Pro-Lite" devices could offer "some of the noise-cancelling capabilities of the Pro model, albeit in a reduced capacity." Reduced capacity noise canceling would just be crappy noise canceling, so why would anyone pay presumably more than the price for regular AirPods just to get noise canceling that doesn't work very well? And why would anyone go for presumably about $25 savings to almost get some AP Pros, but not quite?
Doesn't adding the word "lite" at the end cancel the "pro" out. It's like adding the word "lite" after the word "plus"
Apple's naming convention is just all over the place, with no consistency whatsoever:
Then there's the chill I get down my spine when I see lookalike cloned iPods retailing for $8.00 - $60.00