When the iPhone 7 ditched the 3.5mm headphone jack, Apple switched to including a version of EarPods in the box with a Lightning connector. AirPods, of course, were simultaneously announced alongside the iPhone 7. The eventual success of AirPods led to Apple making the decision to stop including EarPods in the iPhone box, starting with the iPhone 12.
Still, Apple has continued to sell wired EarPods as a separate accessory for less than $20. As we covered back in 2021, wired AirPods have made somewhat of a comeback, especially among younger generations.
With that in mind, reliable leaker ShrimpApplePro is reporting that Apple has started mass production on a new version of EarPods that use USB-C for connectivity instead of Lightning. The leaker first reported on this development back in February and doubled down on the claim in a new post on Twitter today.
