Why Apple may ditch EarPods in new phone

A GLOBAL pandemic hasn’t stopped tech fans obsessing over what Apple’s next iPhone Pro models could feature, or what might be left out.

Apple and other brands are always subject to speculation and fascination in the lead-up to releasing new devices, partly due to the high levels of secrecy surrounding them to protect against competitors copying and borrowing ideas.

But it also creates mystique and interest in the eventual announcements, which are likely to be held virtually this year.

Speculation is that Apple will release four models of iPhone later this year: two 12 models and two iPhone 12 Pro models.

All phones are expected to feature 5G connectivity, with the non-Pro models tipped to receive the OLED screens that have typically been restricted to the higher end models.

For the tech enthused chasing innovation the real game is the more cutting-edge, top of the range models, which last year were rebranded as the “Pro” iPhones, joining other similarly qualified models in the Mac, iPad and even AirPods line-up of “Pro” devices sold by the consumer electronics company.

Last year’s iPhone 11 Pro models were better to look at, had an additional camera, were designed tougher and lasted longer than the $1199 iPhone 11 they launched alongside.

Those benefits came at a $550 price premium, with the Pro starting at $1749.

The next line of Pro iPhones will almost definitely remain similarly expensive, but those in the know have a few other theories about what we can expect from them as well.

Ming Chi-Kuo, an analyst at TF International Securities, who has spent years developing supply chain sources and building a reputation as a reiPhone liable analyst of Apple’s next move, last week issued a fresh note to investors speculating on some of the upcoming features.

The EarPods accessory that has typically been included in the box could be left out of the next models.

Including EarPods in the box has taken on new importance since the release of 2016’s iPhone 7, the first of Apple’s phones to ship without a 3.5mm headphone jack.

This meant you either needed a dongle to connect your regular headphones, or you could use the included EarPods that connected via the Lightning connector.

Kuo now thinks those EarPods could be heading out the door (or at least the box), and it could be a case of convenient timing that Apple would launch pricing promotions on its wireless AirPods models at around the same time.

AirPods were widely mocked when they were first introduced but have since become a market leader and something of a status symbol, despite being expensive, easy to lose, and having an in-built expiration date in the form of a non-replaceable battery.

Leaving EarPods out of the box with new iPhones could potentially lead to an increase in AirPods sales, as much as it could potentially prompt a backlash against the company for excluding a cheap, low quality pair of headphones that many customers were unlikely to use anyway.

JACK GRAMENZ