We could be waiting longer for the mysterious “AirPods Pro Lite” headphones Apple is rumored to be developing. A new report claims production will not begin during the second half of 2020 as originally planned.
AirPods have been an incredible success for Apple, helping the company’s wearables business rake in a whopping $10 billion in revenue last quarter. So it makes sense Apple would want to capitalize on that with new models.
One, the so-called AirPods Pro Lite, are expected to offer fans a more affordable alternative to AirPods Pro. Just days after we were promised a late 2020 launch, however, a new report warns the buds will be delayed.
AirPods Pro Lite hit by production delay
“Production of the AirPods Pro Lite, an entry-level version of Apple’s AirPods Pro series, is unlikely to kick off in the second quarter as originally planned,” reads a new Digitimes report, citing industry sources.
The full report is yet to be published, so it’s not yet clear what may have caused Apple’s plans to change. We’re also still in the dark about what these buds might deliver, and in what way they will be different to regular AirPods.
If they are indeed to be named AirPods Pro Lite, it could be that they look like AirPods Pro, but with certain features, such as active noise cancellation, stripped away to keep costs as low as possible.
What does this mean for regular AirPods? Well, there probably isn’t room for three different options — two of which are likely to be very similar — so it could be that Apple plans to discontinue its second-generation buds later on.
Of course, this is all speculation for now. We’re still skeptical Apple is planning AirPods Pro Lite at all. Digitimes is currently the only outlet reporting on them, and its track record around Apple rumors has been spotty in the past.
