AirPods Pro or AirPods Extreme? Apple almost went with the latter, new report claims

The Apple AirPods Pro wireless earbuds are among the best on the market, but they almost had a completely different name. According to a new report, Apple almost chose to call the AirPods Pro something much more exciting during development but the idea was ultimately canned.

MacRumors reports that in the months leading up to the AirPods Pro launch in October 2019, Apple pondered changing the name to AirPods Extreme. Without citing a specific source the report says that the AirPods Extreme name was suggested by at least one member of Apple's leadership team before it was decided that AirPods Pro branding would be a better option. Many employees reportedly objected to the AirPods Extreme name, perhaps because Apple already used that branding - for the 2003 launch of the AirPort Extreme router back in 2003.

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Ultimately, Apple chose the AirPods Pro name which was probably the better option. The Pro and non-Pro naming convention is one that Apple customers are familiar with across the Mac and iPad lineup, not to mention the iPhone. With the launch of the AirPods Max, having the AirPods Extreme might make them appear to be a better product than the wireless headphones Apple sells - a complication given the fact the AirPods Max cost more than twice as much.

Apple's second-generation AirPods Pro are currently on sale with the company tipped to launch newly updated ones in 2025, although Apple is yet to confirm that of course. New AirPods and AirPods Max products are expected to arrive before the end of 2024, both sporting USB-C ports rather than Lightning for the first time.