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Apple's rumored next-generation noise-canceling AirPods will launch at the end of this month with a new "Pro" moniker and a price tag of around $260, claims a new Chinese-language report this morning.

airpods.jpg

According to China Economic Daily, Apple's third-generation AirPods will adopt a new in-ear design to support the new noise-canceling feature and enhance the listening experience. The paper claims the "Pro" suffix, which Apple recently adopted for its most expensive iPhone 11 models, will help to differentiate the new wireless earbuds from Apple's existing AirPods and underscores the marketing rationale justifying the higher $260 price tag.

According to a separate report on Friday from the same Chinese-language financial media outlet, the AirPods Pro will also feature a new metal design that increases heat dissipation. Apple AirPods supplier Inventec is said to be cooperating with Chinese manufacturer Lixun to undertake the new orders.

In April, noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said two new AirPods models would likely go into mass production between the fourth quarter of 2019 and the first quarter of 2020, with Luxshare, Goertek, and Amkor serving as primary suppliers.

Kuo also claimed one of the new AirPods models will feature an "all-new form factor design" and a "higher price" than the second-generation AirPods, which cost $159 with a standard charging case and $199 with a wireless charging case. The other model is expected to be a more iterative update with the same pricing, although it's unclear what any new features would be.

Previously, the AirPods expected to launch later this year were thought to be the more iterative pair that Kuo refers to. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said he expects the higher-priced AirPods with water resistance and noise cancelation to launch as early as 2020. However, today's report suggests they could come sooner.

According to industry sources previously cited by DigiTimes, Apple's suppliers are gearing up to assemble the next-generation AirPods as early as October, suggesting an updated version of the earphones could arrive in time for the holiday shopping season.

In the beta version of iOS 13.2 there's an icon showing redesigned AirPods that appear to have rubber ear tips that would likely be needed as part of a noise cancelation feature. The image is contained in the Accessibility Settings folder, suggesting the new AirPods will contain a new accessibility feature such as being able to use them as hearing aids, or it could be related to existing Live Listen capabilities.

No specific date has been given for when the new AirPods could debut, but Apple has a number of rumored pending announcements that could point toward an October media event.

Article Link: Report: 'AirPods Pro' to Launch End of October with New Design, New Noise-Canceling Feature and $260 Price Tag
 
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Justin Cymbal

macrumors 6502
Mar 25, 2008
436
2,519
Boston, Massachusetts
It took Apple over 2 years to introduce the 2nd gen Airpods which were just released in March and now they are going to release a 3rd gen? Thats less that 7 months - I just purchased my 2nd gen 2 months ago..

Noise cancellation would be an awesome feature but I'll hold off and see what Apple includes in the 4th gen
 
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peterh988

macrumors 6502a
Jun 5, 2011
625
1,028
Are the Apple branded headphones going to make an appearance do we think, or were they those beats just announced?
 

tobiastimpe

macrumors regular
Jul 13, 2011
105
134
If Sennheiser made in-ears with an H1 (or H2) chip in them, with a USB-C / Qi charging case, I would buy them immediately. Since they don't do that, AirPods Pro seem to be the best option for me. Maybe it will be possible to get a custom mold for them.
 

orbital~debris

macrumors 68020
Mar 3, 2004
2,128
5,555
UK, Europe
Glad to infer that original-design AirPods will continue to be available, but updated.

Prefer the current *non* in-ear version as it’s safer when walking, around traffic etc. because you can hear extraneous noises. Realise the new model will likely have an audio ‘transparency’ feature, but that relies on software and software can be buggy…
 

Donnation

Suspended
Nov 2, 2014
1,686
2,083
Will buy without question. Airpods imo are the best wireless headphones on the market that do everything the best from music, calls, siri. Noise cancelling is just icing on the cake, although I'm curious to see how well Apple does with it.
 

Vjosullivan

macrumors 65816
Oct 21, 2013
1,187
1,436
It seems like the industry agreed on the term "pro" to work best as an excuse to raise prices.
Indeed. There are always phrases like this about. "pro" has meant 'the expensive option' for a while now. Some years ago everything in computing was "NT". At the moment, expensive camera lenses are being labelled "Art". I'm sure that there are plenty of others.
 

ascender

macrumors 601
Dec 8, 2005
4,934
2,819
The AirPods are one of my favourite-ever Apple products and they get used every day. The only downside for me was poor fitment and sound isolation. Silicon covers helped, but for running they were never great.

So along came Powerbeats Pro which are amazing for running and address all my problems with AirPods.

And now here some AirPods which would have addressed all my problems with the originals...

Well played Apple, well played ?
 

rmoliv

macrumors 68000
Dec 20, 2017
1,572
3,117
It took Apple over 2 years to introduce the 2nd gen Airpods which were just released in March and now they are going to release a 3rd gen? Thats less that 7 months - I just purchased my 2nd gen 2 months ago..

Noise cancellation would be an awesome feature but I'll hold off and see what Apple includes in the 4th gen

Thing is, AirPods 2 were supposed to be introduced in late 2018. They weren’t due to the AirPower mess.
 

fokmik

Suspended
Oct 28, 2016
4,909
4,688
USA
If
Airpods Pro are better than Airpods
- at sound quaility
-touch gesture for volume at least
-metal build
-more colors available
-no compromises than the normal airpods like battery life etc

Than this is too cheap in my opinion
 

recoil80

macrumors 68040
Jul 16, 2014
3,117
2,755
I don't like the name, unless we assume that pro only means more expensive.
If this is the price I won't buy it, I like my AirPods and would love an in ear version with more isolation, but I'm not willing to spend too much on something I'll likely need to replace in a couple of years when the battery isn't so great.
 
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