Remember the iPhone 5c? The one that dared to be different with its vibrant, plastic shell? Well, it seems Apple was toying with a similar idea for the original AirPods. According to images shared by a reliable Apple leaker, the company apparently prototyped first-generation AirPods with charging cases sporting bright colors like pink and yellow.

While the earbuds themselves and the interior of the case remained the classic white, the exterior was a bold departure from Apple's usual color palette. It's fascinating to think that Apple considered injecting this kind of personality into the AirPods, especially since they've only ever been released in white. Imagine if you could have matched your AirPods to your iPhone!

Back in 2023, we saw images of pink AirPods, which indicated that Apple may have developed around five different color options to somewhat match the iPhone 7. Despite this, Apple decided not to pursue this idea any further.

It seems some users have been wanting AirPods in different color options for a while now. Even though Apple seemed to be considering only offering different color options for the charging case, it's interesting that the company prototyped specific color options for the device to match different iPhone models. Currently, the AirPods Max are the only AirPods to have been offered in different color options.

This isn't the first time we've seen glimpses into Apple's prototype graveyard. This particular leaker has a track record of uncovering interesting, unreleased Apple products. We've seen everything from all-black Vision Pro components to a working AirPower charging mat. It makes you wonder what other ideas Apple has experimented with behind closed doors.