Apple may have staged an unprecedented three product events in three months, but it could have one more debut up its sleeve. (Yes, even after calling last month’s event “One More Thing” .)
If a last minute report is to be believed, Apple could, as early as Tuesday, unveil its AirPods Studio headphones. Well, maybe.
Apple’s over-the-ear headphones have been rumored for some time. They would be the biggest change in the AirPods line since the AirPods Pro debuted in October 2019. The AirPods Studio were originally scheduled for 2020, a move that makes perfect sense to maximize potential sales. However, they were then supposedly pushed back as a result of production challenges.
According to Apple leaker Jon Prosser, the AirPods Studio will retail for $350. Meanwhile, a more premium, less sporty model will sell for a massive $599. They will supposedly boast premium sound quality, auto play or pause when the headphones are taken off or put on, noise cancellation, and instant pairing with other devices.
Currently Apple sells over-the-ear headphones made by Beats. But it does not make any under its own branding.
Reliable testimony?
Evidence that the AirPods Studio will launch today is somewhat sketchy. The website AppleTrack claims the news as an “exclusive.” It cites “multiple sources familiar with the matter who request to remain anonymous.” However, the website does not have a long history of reporting leaks. There are certainly no shortage of bad actors who will claim to have inside information that turns out to be no more than clickbait.
Some reading on our stories about the long-in-development Apple headphones April: https://t.co/IN5Yy7aDGI and in October https://t.co/cONNugsahk “Apple is still planning to announce high-end, noise-canceling over-ear headphones.”
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) December 7, 2020
But Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, who does have a track record, tweeted a slightly oblique message on the topic. While Gurman didn’t confirm one way or the other, he tweeted out a message about the AirPods Pro, with a link to two articles published earlier this year. Gurman singled out one line: “Apple is still planning to announce high-end, noise-canceling over-ear headphones.”
The news that Apple could have a product launch coming up today was initially published last week. MacRumors published details of a supposed internal memo regarding a “potential hardware announcement” coming up at 5.30am Pacific Time.
Yesterday my colleague Ed Hardy broke down a list of other things this could potentially be. One of the big rumors was a new Apple TV, but those rumors seem to have been shot down.
Either way, this isn’t a rumor we’ll have to wait a long time to get a conclusive answer on. In fact, it’s less than three hours’ away…
