It is now believed that Apple was very close to launching AirPods in different colors but somehow had to cancel the plans and launch them in a single color.
iPhone 7 & AirPods in Purple Color
As per Kosutami San, who is a well-known collector of rare Apple products, in addition to prototyping MagSafe chargers in different color options, Apple also tried the same with AirPods. The Twitter user has got her hands on an unreleased AirPods prototype in different color options. However, the plans were hatched long ago as Kosutami says that AirPods 1st gen was prototyped in different shades including Pink, ProductRED, Purple, Black, Blonde. The idea was to match this with different finishes that Apple offered in iPhone 7. He also said that Apple canceled the plan to launch iPhone 7 in Purple color at the last moment. Kosutami tweeted: “Apple used to release color version of 1st gen AirPods, they planned to make Pink, ProductRED, Purple, Black, Blonde.Reason of that: they wanted to match the color with iPhone 7. (Purple version of iPhone 7 cancelled at last). And it’s been cancelled.” While companies like Apple often prototype different products. However, not all of the prototyped products are released to end users. Some end up in the hands of rare item collectors like Kosutami. But, in the case of AirPods, Kosutami mentions that colored AirPods were canceled until DVT or PVT stage, and the option was shelved just before the launch. Here, DVT stands for Design Validation Test and it is a product development stage during which the product is validated on a unit level to ensure that individual components of the products will work together as desired when combined. Similarly, PVT refers to the Product Validation and Testing stage, which falls just below product release. During PVT, the assembly and delivery process is assessed and optimized at every stage of production. It is usually odd for Apple to cancel a product after DVT and PVT stages but Kosutami has no reason why it happened. As of now, AirPods are available in a single color option – White. The only customization option that Apple offers for AirPods is the engraving, which can be customized as per the user’s request at no additional charge. Nonetheless, it remains interesting to see whether Apple will launch AirPods in different color options some day to match with iPhone finishes.
