Apple is said to be adding an additional AirPods Pro supplier to help meet demand, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo who claims Chinese company Goertek will begin assembling AirPods Pro in the first half of 2020, with current AirPods Pro manufacturer Luxshare Precision loosing its production exclusivity for the earbuds.
The Apple Post conducted a stock-check of Apple.com which revealed AirPods Pro remains widely unavailable across the globe after the earbuds sold out in the run-up to the holiday shopping season. Customers shopping on the online Apple Store in France are shown new AirPods Pro orders won’t ship until January 31st – February 3rd, and in the the United States, Australia and Brazil, Apple is showing a 4 week wait, whereas customers in Portugal will begin receiving AirPods Pro orders placed today no earlier than February 3rd.
It has been reported that AirPods Pro have been much more popular than Apple had originally anticipated, and despite their higher price tag compared to Apple’s original AirPods. Sources suggest Apple is forecasted to double AirPods shipments to 60 million this year thanks to the introduction of AirPods Pro, with production doubling from one million to two million units per month.
Apple released the AirPods Pro in October, featuring “Active Noise Cancellation and superior, immersive sound in an all-new lightweight, in-ear design.” The earbuds have been widely praised for their noice cancellation features compared to other in-ear competitors
In his report, Kuo also claims Luxshare Precision will take over S-series chip production from Quanta Computer, with the new Luxshare chips launching with the next-generation Apple Watch.