Scratch AirPods 3 off the agenda for Apple’s April event

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AirPods 3 might borrow some features of AirPods Pro.
New AirPods could replace 2019’s AirPods 2 in Apple’s lineup. But not soon.
Graphic: Cult of Mac

There’s a growing consensus among tipsters that, despite what what said earlier, AirPods 3 will not debut at the Apple April event. It seems the company’s next generation of truly wireless earbuds aren’t going to reach customers until later in 2021.

The latest report comes from Apple leaker Jon Prosser, who appeared on the Genius Bar podcast on Monday and said that the next AirPods won’t be out any time soon.

He claims the information comes from his “good good” source.

Nope, no AirPods 3 at the April event

This is far from the first unconfirmed report warning people to not hold their breath when waiting for new AirPods.

Trusted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from TF International Securities said in mid-March that the upgraded design won’t go into production until Q3 2021. More recently, Digitimes reported that Apple suppliers just recently started producing components for the in-ear headphones, indicating the release is months away.

But that’s not what the tipsters were saying earlier. Late last year, reports from reliable sources like Bloomberg pointed to AirPods 3 coming sometime in the first half of 2021. And Prosser himself said in early March that the new accessories would be at Apple’s next product-launch event.

At this point, the Apple April event is now expected to include an iPad Pro with mini-LED display and a significantly redesigned iPad mini. There could also be AirTags item trackers, and maybe even a new Apple TV.

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