This is nuts: according to the latest PowerOn newsletter from Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, Apple has confirmed that Lossless Audio won’t be available on the AirPods Pro 2 with a Lightning charging case.
If you want/need the feature, you’ll have to splurge US$249 for the just-announced AirPods Pro 2 with a USB-C charging case.
In a tweet, Gurman said, “It is completely bizarre and unreasonable if the USB C AirPods Pro are required to work with the Vision Pro, and the same generation AirPods Pro bought a week ago don’t. I know internally AirPods Pro prior to the update work from a technology standpoint.”
And apparently you’ll need the newest iteration of the AirPods Pro 2 if you want the best experience using earbuds with the upcoming Apple Vision Pro.
From an Apple press release announcing the AirPods Pro 2: AirPods Pro (2nd generation) with MagSafe Charging Case (USB‑C) will enable Lossless Audio with ultra-low latency to deliver the perfect true wireless solution with Apple Vision Pro. The H2 chip in the latest AirPods Pro and Apple Vision Pro, combined with a groundbreaking wireless audio protocol, unlocks powerful 20-bit, 48 kHz Lossless Audio with a massive reduction in audio latency.
When Apple Vision Pro is available early next year in the U.S., customers will be able to enjoy the most advanced wireless audio experience in the industry with the new AirPods Pro for exceptional entertainment, gaming, FaceTime calls, and so much more.
The US$3,499 Apple Vision Pro will be available in early 2024. However, apparently it will only be available in limited quantities at launch.
