Apple is not expected to launch any products in the remainder of the year, so we already have our sights set on next year and the products that the company could present to us. The third generation AirPods aim to be among the first to appear, but what news will they have? We analyze below the changes that these headphones would bring with respect to their first two versions.
Change of course in the design
The original AirPods released in 2016 were initially heavily criticized for their design. There were already wireless headphones on the market, but their explosion did not come until the apple company launched theirs. Apple decided to give them the same style as their classic EarPods wired headphones, only without the cable as is evident. However, they sold out for months and their replicas became popular. The second generation launched in 2019, despite having its internal changes, reused the same aesthetic.
The third generation will change its design as it has been leaked in some media during these months, although it would not really be a 100 percent new design. They would borrow the concept of in-ear headphones released by the ‘Pro’ range and, they say, reduce the size of the case.
They will be almost Pro AirPods
And if aesthetically it seems that it will be difficult to find the difference with the AirPods Pro, it will not be so much at the sound level. The simple fact of offering these headphones at a lower price means that the company has to reduce certain benefits and this is where we would find the absence of noise cancellation , although only because of their in-ear construction they will already bring a slight passive cancellation.
It is not known if this time there will be two versions as happened with the second generation, which only differ in that the case of the most expensive model can be recharged on a wireless base and the others only with cable. Apple will probably put an end to this issue and already offer a single model compatible with this charge. However, it remains to be seen if they keep the second generation, even at a lower price, since it could be counterproductive in many cases.
Launch planned for the beginning of the year
If, as sources close to the supply chain say, these AirPods are already in the making, it would not be surprising that it was the first product of 2021 by Apple. In fact, some analysts point to the first quarter of the year, which would place us in the month of March in which the company is already accustomed to launches and even second-generation launches occurred at this time.
AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Max Lite?
The AirPods Pro have already been on the market for a year and although there is no concrete data on their sales, it is known that they are working very well. However, it cannot be ignored that the firm led by Tim Cook must already be planning its second generation. Little or nothing is known about them, but 2021 could be the one chosen to find their successors.
The second generation of the AirPods Max is unfeasible today, basically because the market launch of the first generation occurs this week and the stock is still short. However, there are rumors that we could see in 2021 a reduced-performance version of these headphones. Already during the time of rumors of these the idea of seeing cheaper versions arose, so it would not be unreasonable for it to happen.
If we take into account that the Beats brand is being less and less cared for by Apple, we can intuit that they want to give more value to the ‘AirPods’ brand and this is where a headband model would fit in that is somewhere in the middle in what to characteristics refers. The 629 euros of AirPods Max are not affordable for everyone and there are those who do not need so much sound quality and materials.
Everything remains to be seen today, but surely these months await us endless leaks and rumors about the entire range of AirPods. We will be attentive to tell you everything and analyze each novelty that is presented.