TECHNOLOGY | October 30th, 2019 7:41 AM

Apple’s new AirPods Pro launch today with a slew of features that they are able to advertise as new because they strategically left them out of previous iterations, while brands with less recognition have included more at a lower price for years. One of these “new” features is a tantalizing selection of eight color options. In contrast to previous versions, which were only available in plain white, AirPods Pro are available in eight completely different shades of white: “Eggshell,” “Ivory,” “Parchment,” “Printer Paper: Letter,” “Printer Paper: A4,” “Nearly Gray,” “Whyte,” and the original white, which they are now calling “Classic White.”

“We briefly considered releasing colors that our customers were saying they wanted, like blue, orange, or red. Colors that they could use to express themselves and stand out from the crowd,” said Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. “Instead we went with our gut and chose our own colors. Colors that we thought people should want: an enticingly dull collection matching the palette of our customers’ souls.”

The sheer number of color options for the AirPods Pro is nearly unprecedented for Apple. I personally can’t wait to jaunt into my local Apple store to see if I can differentiate the different shades. It is also comforting that they included an A4 version of their “Printer Paper” option for their customers outside the US.