Thursday’s top tech news: An Apple ecosystem for everyone

More affordable AirPods are rumored to be on the way now that Apple’s Music and TV apps are coming to Windows.

Apple works hard to give its products a premium look, but at some point growing its business means making them available to more people. So perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising to see a report claiming that Apple is preparing to produce a more affordable $99 pair of AirPods that will hit the market as early as next year. It still isn’t cheap per se, but getting below the $100 emotional barrier could entice more people to buy Apple’s popular fully wireless earbuds.

It’s a similar story on the services side, where Apple is rolling out its music and TV apps on Windows so users can still get the most out of their subscriptions regardless of platform.

In space news, NASA and the Russian space agency Roscosmos say they plan to send a new spacecraft to the International Space Station after a craft currently docked at the station began leaking coolant. It is not a “rescue mission” as such. Instead, the agencies characterize it as a replacement vehicle.

For now, here’s a silly tweet to start your day:

Stay tuned as we continue to update this list with today’s most important news: Thursday, January 12, 2023.