Apple’s AirPods Studio headphones look more imminent than ever, with a new leak suggesting the high-end cans will be ready for the company's WWDC event in just a few weeks.
According to DigiTimes’ sources, the AirPods Studio have entered mass production, which would indicate that Apple may be getting them ready for its June 22 developer conference. DigiTimes didn’t mention any specific sources to link this rumour to, but the publication’s Apple predictions have been on the money before.
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“As Apple is likely to accelerate dropping its wired earphones, the vendor will resume normal shipments for AirPods 2 in the second half of the year and its new over-ear headphones, dubbed AirPods Studio, has also kicked off production, all securing growth momentum for rigid-flex boards suppliers for the devices,” DigiTimes said, according to a snippet grabbed by MacRumors.
This tracks with previous chatter we’ve heard, which has Apple slated to drop the EarPods wired headphones from its iPhone 12 box, and try and encourage people to buy its AirPods wireless earbuds or the AirPods Pro. And by launching a new pair of over-ear headphones ahead of the iPhone 12 launch in September, Apple will be giving its fans a broader choice of headphones for its new handset.
The AirPods Studio aren’t expected to be cheap, with a rumoured price of $349 that puts them in the same ballpark as top wireless headphones such as the Bose 700 and Sony WH-1000XM3. However, they will offer active noise cancellation and other smart features, including ear detection and a custom equalizer to allow for better control over the headphones’ audio output.
Whether Apple can compete with the best wireless headphones has yet to be seen. But the AirPods Pro impressed us, and with the AirPods 3 on the horizon, Apple could be poised to deliver an aural one-two punch to the established players in the wireless headphones world.