The AirPods Pro will be in its third generation this October, and the second generation has been said to be released in 2022. Now, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has endorsed a Q4 release of the AirPods Pro 2 and outlined upgrades that can be expected later this year.

In an investment memo seen by 9to5Mac, Kuo said the most important upgrade is Apple's plan to introduce lossless audio in its proprietary ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) format. No other lossless formats were mentioned, which is perhaps unsurprising, given that it is a good way to drive audiophiles toward Apple Music, which recently supported ALAC, rather than Spotify, for example.

Lossless tracks are also fairly large file sizes, which would be useful given that Apple will upsell the iPhone 14 device with more internal storage by the end of the year. It would certainly make it easier to justify the rumored 2TB model of the iPhone 14.

However, there are some major problems to overcome. The most troublesome of these is the limitation of Bluetooth itself, which poses something of a bottleneck. It is possible that Apple will push for its own standard, or even develop a codec to enable ALAC. In an interview with our sister site What Hi-Fi, Apple's Gary Geaves revealed that the company "wants more bandwidth" and hinted that there are plans in that direction without stating exactly what it is.

Elsewhere in the memo, Kuo reaffirmed rumors that Apple will somehow use the Pro earphones for health care, suggesting they might boast a "new form factor design." While he doesn't elaborate, it's worth noting that the AirPods 3 have had their stems significantly reduced.

Finally, Apple is reportedly preparing something for those who keep misplacing their AirPods; Kuo claims that the charging case "can emit a sound so users can track it. That, of course, would depend on docking the buds before losing them, but it's better than nothing.

Kuo expects the AirPods Pro 2 to be released in Q4, which would put the earphones firmly toward the end of the year. Still, Kuo is confident that demand will be there, with analysts predicting shipments of 18 to 20 million units by the end of 2022.