AirPods 3 have been anticipated for some time, first expected to appear in March and then alongside Apple Music’s new hi-fi streaming tier. Now, however, new shipment intel suggests that AirPods 3 are nearly ready for showtime, and may well launch alongside the iPhone 13 this September.
DigiTimes, in a paywalled article cited by MacRumors, claims that seven Apple suppliers have started to dispatch BT substrate shipments to Apple for use in SiP modules set to be used in upcoming iPhones, Apple Watches and AirPods.
The Apple Watch 7 and iPhone 13 are heavily tipped to arrive in September – a pretty safe bet given that nearly every handset since the iPhone 5 has launched then. Showcasing the third generation of AirPods at the same time would make sense, given how tied they are to the iPhone’s headphone-jack free design.
It also ties in with what the usually reliable Ming-Chi Kuo has previously predicted. The analyst previously stated that AirPods 3 production would kick off in the third quarter of 2021, which seems to back up DigiTimes’ sources.
The third generation of AirPods will reportedly cut back the stem that’s been a feature since the true wireless earphones were first revealed back in 2017. The design will reportedly be closer to AirPods Pro, though that doesn’t mean that we can expect noise cancellation to be part of proceedings – Apple apparently intends to keep the price low and the battery life high by avoiding ANC once again.
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Enhanced noise reduction and possibly motion sensors for fitness tracking are possibilities, however, and the latter would certainly tie in with the company’s general direction with Apple Fitness Plus.
Will these improvements be enough to secure a place on our list of the best wireless earbuds? We’ll have to wait and see, but if Apple really does end up releasing the iPhone 13, Apple Watch 7 and AirPods 3 at the same event, then it’s hard to imagine the company having anything but a very healthy set of Christmas sales figures.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
