TechCrunch – I can’t recall another consumer electronics product category becoming a commodity as quickly as Bluetooth earbuds. Apple’s AirPods played a key role in that growth, of course, recapturing a kind of excitement not seen in consumer music tech since the original iPod.
AirPods’ fundamentals haven’t changed much in the eight years since they debuted. The stems are mercifully shorter, and they’ve gained some key features, but these have mostly been refinements to a product that entered the world fully formed.
Until last week, their upgrade cycle was straightforward: Apple introduces a new feature for its pricey high-end models, which filters down to the base level after a year or two.
At last Monday’s iPhone 16 event, however, things got more complicated, as the base AirPods forked into two distinct products: AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation.
Here’s what the line looks like:
- AirPods 4 ($129)
- AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation ($179)
- AirPods Pro ($229)
- AirPods Max ($549)
I picture a lot of late-night sessions among Apple’s handsomely paid branding team, attempting to determine what to call the new tier.
I can practically guarantee someone tossed out “AirPods 4.5” in a bid to leave the office before sunrise. Ultimately, however, they landed somewhere far more unwieldy. But hey, at least it does what it says on the box.
AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation (referred to henceforth as “AP4wANC”) exist in a sort of liminal space.
Had AirPods 4 arrived last year, perhaps Apple would have deemed these AirPods 5. As it stands, however, they’re smack in the middle of the in-ear AirPods line.
They look identical to the base model, featuring the same redesign, with a sleeker square charging case and a more ergonomic design.
Apple says they scanned thousands of ears to produce 50 million data points. The results are smaller and more tapered than their predecessor.
The AP4wANC also adopts some of the Pros’ best features, including wireless charging, a speaker for FindMy and the titular ANC.
