Apple is sending its new third-generation AirPods into mass production during the first half of 2021, according to a research note published today by leading analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Additionally, Kuo claims Apple’s second-generation AirPods Pro will be sent into production in 2021 or early 2022, with Apple’s highly-rumored new Beats-like over-ear headphones said to be launching in late summer or early fall this year.
Kuo’s revised research note, which originally slated that the third-generation AirPods would enter mass production later this year prior to it swiftly being revised, casts doubt on previous reports by sources such as Jon Prosser who claimed new AirPods models are ready to launch as soon as next month.
Luxshare Precision, Apple’s primary supplier of AirPods is said to continue to be the main manufacturer responsible for the production of the new next-generation earbuds.
The third-generation AirPods will go to mass production in the 1H21, and the most significant change of the internal design of this new model is the adoption of SiP to replace the rigid-flex PCB+SMT design of second-generation AirPods. We believe that Apple will pull in this new model because of the declining demand for second-generation AirPods. Luxshare ICT will be the main supplier for this new model.
The Apple Post shared a report from Taiwanese publication DigiTimes earlier this week which claimed future AirPods models will feature the same design as the AirPods Pro. Like Kuo, DigiTimes had also suggested production of new the AirPods may not happen until 2021.