Apple’s over-ear Studiopods ‘exposed’ in accidental store listing
An accidental listing on Target’s online store has seemingly revealed Apple’s upcoming over-ear headphones.
The US retailer posted a listing with the title “Apple AirPods (X Generation)” which seems to be a placeholder name for the Apple StudioPods, though that name is also unconfirmed. Industry analyst, Jon Prosser, spotted the listing, saying that several Target employees had got in touch to point it out.
The listing had a $399 price-tag, which equates to about £310. That’s pretty expensive and would make the new Apple headphones pricier than plenty of competitors, including the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones – which we rated very highly in testing.
Related: Apple StudioPods − Everything we know about the rumoured Apple over-ears
Multiple Target employees have started reaching out to me about this ?
Showing up in their systems and on UPC scanners is this mysterious “Apple AirPods (X Generation)” listing, priced at $399. ?
Potentially Apple’s over-ear “StudioPods” headphones. Launch soon (March)? pic.twitter.com/NVcqH8As47
— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) February 22, 2020
We’ve been on the look-out for some over-ear headphones from Apple for a long time now. Back in 2018, prominent Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, said that Apple was looking to release, “its own-brand, high-end over-ear headphones with all-new design; to be as convenient as AirPods with better sound quality”.
Will the high price-point mean high audio quality though? We’re not sure yet. Apple’s AirPods weren’t the most impressive performers though, as our reviewer, Kob Monney, said: “Sound quality has always been an issue. The loose, open fit of the AirPods allowed for a poor seal, the result was a wash of surrounding sound competing with the audio.”
Related: Best headphones 2020 — All types for any budget
However, the AirPods Pro represented a huge step forward for Apple in terms of audio quality and we hope this over-ear offering will be yet another step forward. The over-ear headphones will certainly need to make some audio advances to justify that hefty price-tag, though we expect there will be plenty of interest from those already deeply embedded in the Apple ecosystem.
Apple also own headphone brand, Beats, so we could see some cross-over and some similarities between the coming products from the two brands.
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.
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.