Planning on getting some AirPods later this month. Perfectly happy with the 2nd gen ones if the 3rd hasn't come out, but I'd quite like to have the option to at least see what the 3rd gen offers (and hope it leads to some sales on the 2nd...)
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Kuo: AirPods 3 Mass Production to Start in Q3 2021
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Let me remind you both that the poster said, and I quote, "[Apple] are experts."
I question this blind cultish faith that Apple's decisions are always supreme and cannot be questioned, be they with regards to timing, pricing, design, etc.
They do it that way as the devices drop with the new version of iOS/iPadOS/macOS on them.
It's blatantly clear no MacBooks will drop until we see macOS 12 or whatever they call it in November as all the trusted leakers as saying Q4 for computer hardware. Christmas has nothing to do with it. It's all about the software releases.
I'm still hopeful of an iMac this spring/summer but the leakers information suggests Q4.
There's a big difference between Apple releasing a product and it not quite finding a market, and Apple knowing worse than some random on the Macrumors forum about the best time to release their products. It's not really about not questioning Apple's decisions, more about recognising that they clearly have very good reasons for those decisions, even if they don't line up with the purchasing intentions of some people on here.
I really thought we'd be seeing them in about a week or so with the march 23rd alleged event
I wonder if Kuo is getting confused with the AirPods Pro? I could definitely see them releasing later this year, but it definitely feels the next regular AirPods will be announced later this month.
Kuo has officially lost his mind,
Mass production will begin on the third-generation AirPods in the third quarter of 2021, according to an investors note from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo that was seen by MacRumors.
If mass production is not set to begin until the third quarter of 2021, it would mean that the AirPods 3 wouldn't ship until later in the year. Kuo previously said back in November that the AirPods 3 would launch in the first half of 2021, and other rumors have suggested the new AirPods could come as soon as this month.
There have been several leaks depicting the redesigned third-generation AirPods, which normally suggests that a launch is close, and Kang, a well-respected leaker who often shares accurate information about Apple's plans, said recently that the AirPods 3 are "ready to ship."
Kuo expects AirPods shipments from the first quarter of 2021 to the third quarter of 2021 to decline by about 25 percent year over year to 55 million units. Should demand for the AirPods 3 be better than expected, fourth quarter AirPods shipments will remain flat year over year at 23 million units. Overall AirPods shipments across 2021 are expected to decline to 78 million units, down from 90 million in 2020.
Kuo says that the AirPods Max have offered "limited help" to AirPods shipments, with an annual shipment of about one million units.
It is unclear at this time if AirPods 2 will stop being produced when the AirPods 3 enter mass production. Kuo says that Apple has a dilemma -- if AirPods 2 stick around and are sold at a lower price, it could affect AirPods 3 demand, but if there's a no low-priced AirPods model, it could have a negative effect on Apple's sales.Kuo attributes the decline in AirPods shipments to increased competition and a loss of market share. There are a number of lower-priced true wireless earbud options on the market for Apple to contend with.AirPods have quick pairing and fast switching capabilities that give them an edge over competitors, but Kuo says that these advantages are "gradually offset" by improved user experiences and lower prices offered by competitors. Kuo says that if Apple wants to improve AirPods shipments in the future, hardware innovation like health management functionality is necessary to differentiate the earbuds from similar products offered by competitors.
Article Link: Kuo: AirPods 3 Mass Production to Start in Q3 2021
He contradicts himself an awful lot, I wonder if financial institutions even read his reports as they are always amended when he is wrong, it's is comical that's people hang on his every word,
I think kuo has been confused for a long time, he does good with apple will release new iPhones in the fall with faster processors and better cameras, after that he hasn't said anything we haven't already heard. He lost his connect and is just trying to stay relevant.
Kang.....kuo is washed up nothing good in yearsi
he is wrong all the time, but I think he nailed the contact lenses in 2040
Last week he said they were coming out this quarter, he doesn't know.... he makes this stuff up.
Kuo is being ridiculous: Apple has a lot of other products ready to launch in 2021, most likely more Apple Silicon computers and some kind of new iPad Pro, and most definitely new iPhones and Watches in fall.
Any new AirPods in Q3-Q4 would clash with other new products.
Not that Q3-Q4 isn't possible, but it wouldn't seem like a wise choice.
Also, not launching any new products in either Q1 or Q2 would be very odd altogether. Whatever happens, I can't see Apple not launching anything new at all in Q1-Q2 2021.
Any new AirPods in Q3-Q4 would clash with other new products.
Not that Q3-Q4 isn't possible, but it wouldn't seem like a wise choice.
Also, not launching any new products in either Q1 or Q2 would be very odd altogether. Whatever happens, I can't see Apple not launching anything new at all in Q1-Q2 2021.
OK but why not tell us what you really think about Kuo.
Oh like mask unlock for iPhone? That only took a year where face ID was/still is completely useless in public.
Ah yes, because Apple “knew” when they added Face ID to the iPhones back in 2017, that three years later everyone would be wearing masks out in public.
To your point, Apple did release an iPhone with touch ID, in April 2020. Right at the beginning of the pandemic.
Fingerprint scanner is rumored to come to this year‘s iPhone, which was probably mostly worked on last year. Keep in mind that Apple is such a big company, that they usually work 1 to 2 years ahead. The iPhone 12 that came out last year was probably finalized long before the pandemic took over.
Some of you people think that Apple can snap a finger, and have exactly what you want ready exactly when you want it, but it’s just not how a company works, especially a company that has to ship millions and millions and millions of product every year.
They didn’t mean that Apple knows exactly how well a new product category will sell.
They meant that, using market research and the data that they have at hand, Apple probably realizes that iPhones, AirPods, Apple watches, etc. sell the best in the fourth quarter, right around the holiday season. So it’s probably best to release all those products in the fourth quarter, when everyones buying them.
My money is on Kang.
Event on March 23, tons of leaks and pictures of the product coming out lately, so my guess is that it’s all probably ready to be released.
Quo is probably thinking about the second GEN AirPods Pro, which I would expect to see in the fall around the same time as the new iPhones.
I think Kuo is mistaken. He may have been referring to the AirPods Pro 2, which will have a radical redesign and may use a replacement for the H1 chip. The AirPods 3 may be finished and will likely ship soon, since it appears to be a "derated" AirPods Pro.