Apple May Soon Discontinue Its Wired EarPods After 12 Years

Main points

Apple might stop producing its EarPods soon.

The EarPods were first introduced in 2012 with the iPhone 5.

So far, there have been three versions of the EarPods.

After 12 years, Apple is reportedly planning to discontinue its wired EarPods.

According to Aaron Perris, a contributor at MacRumors, Target has marked all three EarPod models (3.5mm, Lightning, and USB-C) as "Non-Carry Forward." This indicates that Apple may be ending the production of these wired headphones.

While there's no official word from Apple about this yet, the timing of the news, coming just before their “It’s Glowtime” event, suggests that the EarPods may soon be discontinued.

Apple first launched the EarPods in 2012 alongside the iPhone 5 and iPods. At the time, the 3.5mm headphone jack was a standard feature in iPhones, so the original EarPods had this connector.

However, in 2016, with the release of the iPhone 7 and AirPods, Apple removed the 3.5mm jack, replacing it with the Lightning connector on the new version of the EarPods. Last year, with the shift to USB-C for the iPhone 15, Apple released the third version of the EarPods, this time with a USB-C connector.

If these reports are accurate, discontinuing the EarPods might make sense for Apple, as they are falling behind in comparison to the AirPods. While the AirPods have seen multiple updates and innovations, the EarPods have remained simple wired headphones. Unlike AirPods, which can connect to almost any Apple device, the EarPods lack that versatility.

Though the EarPods are still popular for their affordable price and good microphone quality, Apple might be phasing them out to focus on newer technology.