The iPhone 15 is just around the corner, and it’s bringing the biggest change to any Apple smartphone in years — the USB-C port (partially coerced by its beef with the EU). But recent rumors suggest that this is not the only device to shift away from Lightning.
According to Mark Gurman, Apple’s September event won’t just bring the iPhone 15 with USB-C and an iPad Mini. It looks as if AirPods will be making the port transition too.
A big chance that you can USB-See
This claim relates to the standard AirPods, and it is unclear whether AirPods Pro will be making the switch over (unless the company quietly changes it on the website after the event).
However, Gurman has previously reported on Apple possibly releasing a USB-C AirPods Pro case alongside the iPhone 15. Elsewhere, expectations are being set for a hearing test-esque feature in the software, which will “play different tones and sounds” to help determine how well a person can hear.
This would correlate with the rumors back in March of the company working on hearing enhancing technology, and the power of the Live Listen feature too. It’s worth saying that none of this tech (even in the likes of the Sennheiser Conversation Clear Plus) has not received regulatory approval yet as a hearing aid replacement, though.
In terms of future rumored upgrades, such as body temperature sensors and a heart rate monitor, don’t expect them to make an appearance. Gurman is only expecting this long overdue change to USB-C and not much more.
Outlook
It’s only logical that Apple starts rolling out all of its key devices with the same USB-C standard, so as to not make the transition an awkward one. Having different standards out there is just a minefield for consumers to workaround, so being able to charge your new iPhone and AirPods with the same cable is warmly welcomed.
Whether there will be anymore new features or upgrades is currently up in the air. The last time we saw new AirPods was the third-generation back in October 2021, so you can only hope there will be some more internal improvements. Maybe a switch to touch controls, a bump up to the H2 chip, and a MagSafe charging case with speaker (with U1 chip for improved Find My performance).
