Apple internally created a batch of brightly colored charging box prototypes for the original AirPods, with a color scheme similar to that of the iPhone 5c. Relevant pictures were released by Kosutami, a whistleblower and prototype collector. The prototype shown has a pink and yellow shell, but the inside of the charging box and the headphone body are still white. The overall look and feel are obviously different from the mass-produced AirPods.
Judging from the existing pictures, the colors of these prototype charging boxes are quite close to the blue, green, pink, yellow, white and other colors provided by the iPhone 5c. However, Apple did not ultimately bring this design to the market, and the commercially available AirPods have always only had a white version. Interestingly, Apple seemed to only consider changing the color of the charging box and did not try to color the headset body, showing that it was still cautious between maintaining product recognition and controlling production complexity.
As early as 2023, Kosutami had exposed a pink-looking AirPods prototype and said that Apple once planned a variety of color schemes that roughly corresponded to the colors of the iPhone 7, but the project was also stopped internally. For many years, some users have been hoping that Apple can provide more official colors for AirPods. Currently, only the head-mounted AirPods Max series can truly achieve multi-color selection.
In addition to this colorful AirPods charging case, Kosutami has also shown Apple's internal prototypes many times in the past, including an all-black version of Vision Pro components, an early design MagSafe charging tray, a FineWoven material Apple Watch strap, a fully functional AirPower charging pad, and unreleased "Magic Charger" accessories. To a certain extent, these rare devices outline the route Apple has tried but ultimately abandoned in terms of product appearance and accessory form.