AirPods Studio to skip iPhone 12 event, and they won’t be cheap
iPhone 12 is set to be revealed next week but a ton of rumours have focused on what else will crop up – including the possibility of AirPods Studio. New leaks have revealed if we can expect them as well as a ludicrous starting price for a premium model.
In an early morning (late night for interested US parties), leaker Jon Prosser decided to shake things up when it comes to the Apple rumour mill – reporting on some updated release dates for its upcoming tech. Perhaps the most eye-catching tidbit was news on AirPods Studio – revealing some obscene pricing for a surprise new model.
Related: Apple ‘Hi, Speed’ Event – What else to expect from iPhone 12 launch
Jon Prosser has previously showcased some renders of the expected new AirPods Studio. However, Prosser has now revealed that he’s learned this is actually a “luxury variant”:
AirPods Studio 🎧
The renders that I shared last month seem to be the luxury variant — made of leather/metal.
I’m being told they’ll retail for…. $599 😳
There will be another sport-like variant made of cheaper materials for $350.
They WILL NOT be at the October 13 event. https://t.co/awunRlGrD4 pic.twitter.com/le2cfmlC9P
— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) October 9, 2020
As you can see above, Prosser says these headphones will cost a whopping $599 dollars. We’ll pause while you pick up your jaw that just dropped… yes, that’s actually the expected price. These pricey cans will be made of leather and metal while also sporting magnetic ear cups, a USB-C port (no headphone jack) and allow you to reverse them.
The (sort of) good news is that Prosser says there will be a variant at the originally reported price of $350 – a “sport-like” model using cheaper materials. At a premium price like $350, “cheaper materials” certainly doesn’t sound all that appealing. Our current top-rated set of headphones, the Sony WH-1000XM4, coming in at around this same price – a price far less than that expected “luxury” price too.
Related: Best headphones
A theme of Prosser’s leak storm was letting onlookers down gently regarding whether these peripheral devices would be at next week’s iPhone 12 event. This included the AirPods Studio, which won’t be at the October 13 event.
Prosser also revealed the new Apple AirTags won’t be cropping up next week. Instead, AirTags won’t be announced and launched until 2021.
The leaker didn’t miss out the iPhone 12 itself, revealing it would, in fact, be iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro that will be available to order from October 16 (available in store from October 23). Previous suggestions pointed towards the regular models coming first and Pro variants coming later. Prosser now states the iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 mini will come sometime in November.
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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.
