Apple is reportedly developing 2nd generation AirPods Pro and 3rd generation AirPods



Apple's wireless earphones, the

AirPods, and the higher-end model, AirPods Pro , are leading products in the wireless earphone market. Overseas media Bloomberg reported that Apple is developing 2nd generation AirPods Pro and 3rd generation AirPods and aims to launch it in 2021 at the earliest.

Apple (AAPL) Developing Smaller AirPods Pro, Revamped Entry-Level Model --Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-26/apple-developing-smaller-airpods-pro-revamped-entry-level-model



Apple reportedly plans revamped AirPods for as early as next year --The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/26/21534123/apple-airpods-3-pro-2-2021-chip-design-battery-life-true-wireless-earbuds-headphones-homepod

When AirPods were first announced, they were laughed at because of their unique shape, such as 'udon coming out of their ears,' but in just a few years they have strengthened their position in the wireless earphone market. Apple is said to have sold 60 million AirPods in 2019, and AirPods account for more than 70% of the total revenue of the wireless earphone market.

Apple will sell about 60 million AirPods in 2019, accounting for more than 70% of total revenue in the wireless earphone market-GIGAZINE



At the time of writing the article, the 2nd generation AirPods are sold for 17,800 yen (excluding tax) and the AirPods Pro are sold for 27,800 yen (excluding tax), but according to Bloomberg, Apple has 3rd generation AirPods and 2nd generation AirPods Pro. It seems that he is working on the development of.

The newly developed 3rd generation AirPods will look similar to the AirPods Pro announced in 2019, and the stem that pops out of the ear is expected to be shorter. Also, the eartips are replaceable and plans to improve battery life, but a person familiar with the plan told Bloomberg that it wouldn't have the noise-canceling feature of the AirPods Pro.

On the other hand, the 2nd generation AirPods Pro eliminates the stem to make the earphones more compact, and like Google's ' Google Pixel Buds ' and Samsung's ' Galaxy Buds + ', it has a rounded design that fits in the ear canal. It will be. Bloomberg points out that it's difficult to integrate noise cancellation, wireless antennas, and microphones into smaller AirPods Pros than current models, and some features may eventually be removed.

Apple plans to launch a third-generation AirPods as early as the first half of 2021.



Apple is also discussing in-house about adding a third HomePod to its lineup, which is between the smart speaker HomePod ( 32,800 yen plus tax) and the smaller model HomePod mini ( 10,800 yen plus tax). It is said that there is. At the time of writing the article, it seems to be in the early stages of development, and it is unknown whether it will be finally released.

In addition, it has been reported that Apple has been developing genuine over-ear headphones ' AirPods Studio ' for a long time, but in response to problems such as 'headband is tight' was pointed out in the preliminary test, it was produced. It seems that the start has been postponed. According to Bloomberg, the genuine headphones were supposed to have a large touchpad on the side, but the panel size was smaller than it was originally, and some other features were also reduced.

in Hardware, Posted by log1h_ik