AirPods: these transparent prototypes reveal the guts of the headphones

We are all familiar with the distinctive white design of Apple’s wireless headphones. But before developing them, the manufacturer had designed transparent prototypes revealing its components. Collector Giulio Zompetti has just unveiled them on his Twitter account.

Last October, we were finally able to discover the curves of the AirPods 3 which benefit in particular from passive noise reduction and sound spatialization. Like his predecessors, he is dressed all in white. Still, before developing the characteristic design of its wireless headphones, Apple had designed several prototypes with very different appearance.

This revelation comes to us from a certain Giulio Zompetti. Collector of rare products from Apple, he shared on Twitter two photos of AirPoids prototypes with transparent design. In particular, you can see the components of the device as well as a good dose of glue. The story does not say, however, if Apple had planned to market these translucent AirPods. But this eventuality appears improbable.

Read also : AirPods 3: where to buy Apple headphones at the best price?

Transparent AirPods: a prototype for engineers

Indeed, it is common for such prototypes to be designed upstream of the manufacture of a product. A way for engineers to examine their design and identify any problems. So, don’t expect to see them hit the market anytime soon. For the record, AirPods and AirPods Pro are only available in white. Despite the complaints of some users, Apple has still not developed headphones decked out in another color.

If this translucent headphone design appeals to you, we recommend that you go for the Nothing Ear 1, the review of which you can read here. And for good reason, these headphones are decked out with a transparent rod like the aforementioned AirPods prototypes.

Note that Zompetti regularly manages to get his hands on Apple products that are not normally supposed to come out of the Apple lab. Recently, he notably unveiled images of a prototype 29W charger as well as a prototype of the original iPhone. You can admire it all below.