Something to look forward to: Though Apple's AirPods are an expensive piece of tech, they're still remarkably popular, likely due to their relatively minimalist cord-free design and solid sound quality. However, Apple doesn't want to leave well enough: prominent analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that the tech giant is planning to ship not one, but two new AirPods models as early as Q4 2019.
One of the two models won't bring much in the way of visible changes, retaining the same overall look and feel but with "iterative" improvements to the AirPods' interior hardware. It's unclear what those improvements will entail, but a sound quality boost seems likely, at the very least.
The second model is what will likely grab most people's attention. It will be more expensive than the first while featuring a completely new design - perhaps Apple will go the Samsung Galaxy Buds route and ditch the dangling "stems" that their AirPods have become known for.
We have no way of knowing whether or not Kuo's claims are accurate, but the analyst does have a decent track record when it comes to similar predictions and product leaks. Regardless, if the company is planning to launch new AirPods models this year, we probably won't have to wait long before further leaks and an official announcement hit the web.