It looks like Apple will be chasing the high end and could be offering studio-quality over-ear headphones for as early as next year, according to sources close to the story.
The company is said to be working on new AirPods with noise-cancellation and water resistance, the people said. Apple is trying to increase the range that AirPods can work away from an iPhone or iPad, one of the people said. You won’t be swimming in them though: The water resistance is mainly to protect against rain and perspiration, the people said.
The upper-end AirPods, which will more than likely retail at a higher price point than the existing $159 AirPods, could also arrive with a wireless charging case that’s compatible with the upcoming AirPower charger.
Apple is also rumored to have had internal discussions about adding biometric sensors, such as a heart-rate monitor, to next-gen AirPods, thereby adding to its health-related hardware offerings such as the Apple Watch. The current AirPods will be refreshed later this year with a new chip and support for hands-free Siri activation.
Another rumor stated that over-ear headphones are also en route from Apple. These headphones could compete with products from Bose and Sennheiser and could feature Apple branding and be a higher-end alternative to the company’s Beats line. Apple originally intended to introduce the headphones by the end of 2018, but has faced development challenges, and is now targeting a launch as early as next year, the people said. They asked not to be identified talking about unreleased products. An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment.
Apple plans to ramp up AirPods production by working with Foxconn, according to sources. So far, it has mostly worked with Inventec, but builds about 30 percent of the units with Luxshare Precision Industry Co. When the earbuds first came out in 2016, they were delayed, and there was limited supply after the product finally went on sale. A Foxconn press official declined to comment.
For the over-ear headphones, Apple has discussed working with Tymphany, a Primax Electronics Ltd. subsidiary that makes consumer and professional audio systems, according to a a source. Production hasn’t started, and the deal isn’t finalized.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via Bloomberg