'AirPods Pro Lite' lacking active noise cancellation could debut later in 2020

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in General Discussion edited April 24

Apple is reportedly still planning on releasing a new version of AirPods Pro without active noise cancellation at a lower price, but industry sources suggest the launch will be much later than the recently predicted May 2020.

The new AirPods Pro are said to lack active noise cancellation, which will bring costs down. The design is expected to remain the same.
The new AirPods Pro are said to lack active noise cancellation, which will bring costs down. The design is expected to remain the same.



Rumors about a lower-priced "AirPods Pro Lite" have been circulating since early 2020, though it's never been clear what form they might take. On Tuesday, a paywalled DigiTimes report indicated that the new version of AirPods Pro would look identical to current models but will lack active noise cancellation -- a change that will help bring the cost of the wireless headphones down.

Citing supply chain sources, the publication adds that Apple originally planned to release the new AirPods Pro in May but may have to push the schedule back due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Those sources added that Apple hasn't officially changed the timeline, however, but inspections have been delayed since the company hasn't been able to get staff to its production lines overseas.

DigiTimes is an accurate barometer of the supply chain. However, it has a poor track record of predicting Apple's specific product plans or features. The aspect of Tuesday's report focusing on the active noise cancellation is closer to the latter, than the former.

A preview of the DigiTimes piece on Monday suggested that the new AirPods Pro could launch in late 2020 or early 2021, but the full report gives May 2020 as a planned release date.

On Sunday, serial leaker Jon Prosser said that Apple had a new version of AirPods "ready to go" for a release in May. Taken together, it appears that Prosser and DigiTimes may be talking about the same device.

It isn't clear whether the ANC-lacking AirPods Pro mentioned in DigiTimes' story are related to the rumored fitness-oriented "AirPods X" mentioned in other Prosser forecasts.

On the other hand, there's a good chance that they are separate devices, based on the fact that Prosser saids "AirPods X" will debut in September or October. Per DigiTimes, the "AirPods Pro Lite" are slated to launch in May.



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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 13
    red oakred oak Posts: 1,104member
    What is the point of having a "Pro Lite" that does not have noise cancellation?     Where else in any category does Apple have a "Pro Lite' variant?   It is an oxymoron  

    Apple is splitting nickels.   Just keep it 'AirPods' and 'AirPods Pro'
    elijahgnot_anton
  • Reply 2 of 13
    Eric_WVGGEric_WVGG Posts: 972member
    My girlfriend would want these. She doesn't care about noise cancellation, and normal Airpods fall out of her ears.

    My friend A. might want these. No clue about noise cancellation, but normal Airpods don't fit in her ears and pop out.

    I do think it would make more sense to the lineup for these to be "Airpods 2" and just ditch the origin model, though.
    edited April 2020
  • Reply 3 of 13
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    Screamers and ranters here are always bloviating about Apple needing to have multiple price entry points... choice, choice, choice, overpriced, overpriced!  If this rumor happens those same ranters will be livid that active noise cancellation is not included. I mean ‘it would only cost a penny to do it, right’? 
    StrangeDays
  • Reply 4 of 13
    BeatsBeats Posts: 3,073member
    Waiting for Huawei to make knockoffs of these and iKnockoff fans claiming "the design was obvious and a natural move forward!!!"
    lkrupp
  • Reply 5 of 13
    jcs2305jcs2305 Posts: 1,339member
    red oak said:
    What is the point of having a "Pro Lite" that does not have noise cancellation?     Where else in any category does Apple have a "Pro Lite' variant?   It is an oxymoron  

    Apple is splitting nickels.   Just keep it 'AirPods' and 'AirPods Pro'

    Does it also mean no transparency mode as well? I am curious about this?  You don't need noise cancellation all the time but I have found transparency mode to be super handy and I keep it on all the time.  Being able to hear out on the street or in the office when you want audio, but to also be aware of what is being said and going on around you is HUGE in my opinion.




  • Reply 6 of 13
    JBSloughJBSlough Posts: 92member
    What if these AirPod Pro Lites (is that’s Apple's name?) are just the new AirPods. Why have a third version of these that are just the regular AirPods with ear tips?
  • Reply 7 of 13
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,386member
    red oak said:
    What is the point of having a "Pro Lite" that does not have noise cancellation?     Where else in any category does Apple have a "Pro Lite' variant?   It is an oxymoron  

    Apple is splitting nickels.   Just keep it 'AirPods' and 'AirPods Pro'
    Different form factor. I honestly don't care about noise cancellation or any of the Pro additional features, I would use that feature maybe a handful of times per year if that. But I like the design SO much more than regular Airpods. So I would be happy to pay a bit less and get the Pro lite just for that. Airpods are MASSIVELY popular. It makes sense for Apple to offer additional versions and price points.
    tokyojimuStrangeDays
  • Reply 8 of 13
    gutengelgutengel Posts: 363member
    The only reason this would make sense if apple drops the price of the existing lower end option so you have 4 options from lower $100 price point all the way to $250.
  • Reply 9 of 13
    eightzeroeightzero Posts: 3,134member
    Ima gonna wait for the AirPods Pro Lite Air Edition Xr+ HD 4K Touch (Red) version.
    Eric_WVGGtokyojimu
  • Reply 10 of 13
    napmannapman Posts: 25member

    'AirPods Pro Lite' lacking active noise cancellation


    Some would say the current AirPods Pro are lacking in the noise cancellation department.  When are they going to fix what the firmware update did to noise cancellation??
  • Reply 11 of 13
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,677member
    red oak said:
    What is the point of having a "Pro Lite" that does not have noise cancellation?     Where else in any category does Apple have a "Pro Lite' variant?   It is an oxymoron  

    Apple is splitting nickels.   Just keep it 'AirPods' and 'AirPods Pro'

    This is media/pundit speculation and a fabricated moniker, not an Apple product announcement.

    I do agree, in-principle, that slicing and dicing products into too many variants can cause confusion. However, this particular product does lend itself to more variation because it is a very personal and "taste specific" product in terms of audio presentation, wearer comfort, wearer style, and convenience. I'd liken the potential market for AirPods (of all variations) to be more akin to eyeglass frames. Yes, all eyeglass frames provide a common functional capability for hosting lenses that have variations for single-focus, bifocal, multi-focal, automatic tinting, etc. But way beyond that, eyeglass frames come in thousands of different styles to fit millions of different wearers preferences. Imagine if everyone wore the same eyeglass frames, or only had a choice of two different frame styles or two lens types.

    I'm not saying that AirPods should come in thousands of variations like eyeglass frames and lenses, But I do believe that as a highly personal product they are closer to eyeglasses than they are to flashlights. There is a lot more potential to satisfy a lot more consumers if you have more than two choices. As you know, active noise cancellation (ANC) does cause great discomfort for some wearers (just like some people cannot tolerate multi-focal eyeglass lenses), so making these consumers pay more for a feature they don't want just to get the ear-fit that they do want is a detractor. Apple should make as many variations as they need to make to satisfy their customer's needs, and yes, seeing these more as personal fashion and lifestyle products rather than techy toys makes sense for the 98% of the market that isn't us.

    If it's the speculative name that bothers you, get over it. If Apple named them "Ear Raisins" would they sound any different?
    StrangeDays
  • Reply 12 of 13
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 13,055member
    red oak said:
    What is the point of having a "Pro Lite" that does not have noise cancellation?     Where else in any category does Apple have a "Pro Lite' variant?   It is an oxymoron  

    Apple is splitting nickels.   Just keep it 'AirPods' and 'AirPods Pro'
    Errnnt. Apple hasn’t done anything. Currently this is just a rumor. Like the rumors Cook was editing scripts to keep things less mean. Remember that one?
    edited April 2020
  • Reply 13 of 13
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 13,055member
    Beats said:
    Waiting for Huawei to make knockoffs of these and iKnockoff fans claiming "the design was obvious and a natural move forward!!!"
    lol yes...love how they always say that about the knockoffs do their thing. “It was the obvious evolution for computing stores to look just like Apple Stores!” Amazing that Radio Shack, Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA, etc, never discovered it if it was so obvious. 
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