It's only been 24 hours since the new Beats Studio Pro was announced, and yet many sites like MacRumors, NextPit, and 9to5Mac are still wondering what will be announced next from Beats and its owner, Apple [If the next-generation AirPods Max 2 gets a USB-C port, it will offer lossless audio playback at up to 48 kHz/24-bit

Nevertheless, none of the sites have inside information on the yet-to-be-announced AirPods Max 2 and cannot say whether Apple's next headphones will feature USB-C However, all sites cite past reports that USB-C will replace the Lightning port on all Apple AirPods headphones, implying that it is likely to be the Max 2 scenario

Admittedly, this is more wishful thinking than actual news, but given the launch of the Beats Studio Pro with USB-C, it seems more likely than ever that the AirPods Max 2 will offer the latest in connectivity technology

The biggest complaint about the current generation AirPods Max is the lack of access to Apple Music's lossless audio streaming; since the AirPods Max is completely wireless, it must be compressed to pass audio via Bluetooth

Two ways around this would be to create a new audio codec (similar to Sony's LDAC) that provides better sound quality over Bluetooth, or to add a USB-C port to the headphones so they can receive 24-bit audio streams

The latter is clearly the easier of the two solutions, but Apple would also need to include USB-C in source devices like the iPhone 15 and iPad Pro

All of this seems likely given that the EU will soon mandate that devices sold in the region support one universal standard (USB-C at the moment) by the end of 2024 Apple has confirmed that the iPhone will have USB-C, but has not revealed which model

Is the inclusion of USB-C in the Beats Studio Pro a harbinger of things to come, as many major tech sites, including Tom's Guide, certainly seem to think so