With the iPhone 15 expected to make the move to USB-C, it’s only a matter of time before Apple’s other products do as well. AirPods and AirPods Pro will need to follow suit and someone already beat Apple to the punch.
YouTuber Ken Pillonel, via his Exploring the Simulation channel, had already taken an old AirPods Charging Case and given it a USB-C transplant. Now, he’s done it to Apple’s best Bluetooth earbuds as well.
What’s more, you can do it too.
USB-C all the things
While Apple is being forced to go all USB-C all the time, that isn’t why Pillonel set about doing it himself. Instead, that’s all about replacing parts that aren’t supposed to be replaced — saving e-waste in the process.
Famously, iFixit gave both the AirPods and AirPods Pro a 0/10 repairability rating.
“The goal of this project is to maximize the number of successful repairs to minimize the quantity of electronic waste,” Pillonel told iMore. “A replacement battery can be purchased online, but it is the only replacement part available. If a charging port is broken, there is no way to replace it except by getting a replacement part from another device.”
So he set about fixing that.
The result is a 3D-printed case that can be used should the original get broken when being taken apart and a USB-C connector that can be built at home or purchased online.
Making the USB-C connector available for purchase is a key part here. Pillonel made it possible for people to build their own, but he “realized that 2 million people watched the last video where a similar project is done for the original AirPods, and only a few attempted to repair it as shown.” He says that proved that the process was too difficult and that “the only way to have a real impact is to lower the difficulty of repair by making the ready-to-install replacement part available to purchase.”
If you have a pair of AirPods or AirPods Pro that need the kind of love and attention Apple won’t give them, this video might just give them a new lease of life.
