Apple’s March product event is nearly here, and as usual the web is aflutter with the potential of the AirPods 3 wireless earbuds being announced. We believe there are in development and the previous leaks have given us a clue as at what the headphones look like.
Other rumours has mooted an early 2021 release date and improved features for the entry-level true wireless. Here’s what you need to know about the AirPods 3.
When will the AirPods 3 be released?
The new AirPods are rumoured to go on sale in 2021. When this will be exactly, is still a point of discussion.
John Prosser said the 3rd-gen model were due to be unveiled in 2020, but the AirPods didn’t make their bow. Prosser, who is not the most reliable source despite the claims, has offered another potential date for the unveiling – Apple’s March 2021 event.
Updated info from a reliable source 👇
Products that are ready: AirTags, iPad Pro, AirPods, Apple TV
Take that however you’d like…
— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) March 8, 2021
Some reports have said that Apple has internally discussed a launch in early 2021, and this would make sense with what’s been said throughout 2020, with mass production of the earbuds thought to begin in the first-half of 2021.
However, Ming-Chi Kuo – analyst/prognosticator on all things Apple – has indicated (via a report on 9to5mac) that the the AirPods 3 wont’ be ready to be unveiled at the March event, as they’ll actually be going into mass production in Q3 2021. If true that would put just ahead of the AirPods Pro 2 in the production schedule.
And now we’re all back to square one.
How much will the AirPods 3 cost?
The 2nd-gen AirPods (with wireless case) were £199/$199. We’d expect the AirPods 3rd gen will hit the same price with the 2nd-gen either removed from sale or reduced in price.
This is a pure guess on our part. There’s been no indication of what price it’ll have, but if our guess is that Apple wouldn’t want to rock the boat (too much) on a product that’s become very popular since its inception.
What will the the new AirPods look like?
According to Ming-Chi Kuo, the AirPods 3 could have a different design than previous versions. If true, it’d be biggest redesign of the headphones since the first iteration went on sale in 2016.
Kuo believes that the AirPods 3 will have a similar form factor to the AirPods Pro, and it’s a claim that’s been backed up by Bloomberg.
An image surfaced on website 52audio of an earbud that looks similar-ish to the design of the AirPods Pro, which would seem to indicate that both Kuo and Bloomberg are on the right track.
Another image has since popped up given us the clearest look at the purported headphones, and they do have a similar form factor to the AirPods Pro. From the bulbous housing and what looks to be a slightly shorter stem, what’s missing here is the lack of an ear-tip.
However, another leak surfaced – this time February 2021 – spotted by MacRumors and guess what? The render concept for the AirPods had ear-tips attached, with the suggestion that you can attach or detach the ear-tips, which sounds rather strange to us.
Whatever the case, it would appear that Apple is trying out a number of different designs to figure out the right direction to go in.
What features will the AirPods 3 have?
According to Ming-Chi Kuo, as well as adopting the Pro’s design, the AirPods 3 will adopt the earbud’s SiP technology. SiP stands for system-in-package chip solution, and this could mean the circuit componentry takes up less space for more features to be put in. Active noise cancellation is not thought to be coming to this model, however.
Patently Apple noticed a patent about the AirPod’s sensors that gather information about orientation and measurements from the accelerometer. Info from the AirPod will be used in conjunction with an iPhone to supply “the user with coaching and feedback while evaluating user performance of a head movement routine or other exercise routine.” One scenario for this use would be striking a yoga pose.
We’ve also been hearing about other features such as ambient light sensors that could provide biometric feedback. This would also would into the health-related features that have been circulating the AirPods for the past few years.