Since their introduction more than four years ago, Apple’s AirPods have proven to be very popular. As a follow-up to the initial generation, we received the AirPods 2, or AirPods with wireless charging, as they were formally known, in early 2019. This was followed by the really amazing AirPods Pro, which was released in late 2019.
The second generation of AirPods Pro will be covered in detail in this article, but we’re mainly interested in the device we’ll refer to as AirPods 3 – an upgrade to Apple’s original AirPods that will ship later this year.
Read our separate article for more information on all of the rumors around the AirPods Pro 2.
1.What do you think the new AirPods will be called?
Most likely, only the AirPods will have a third-generation suffix
As a result of Apple’s proclivity for using the same name for many products, we expect that any successor product for the existing AirPods will be referred to as AirPods, period.
Even if they were to come with a ‘3rd generation’ tag, they’d very likely still be referred to as AirPods, and we think that rumors of them being named AirPods Lite or AirPods Pro-Lite are completely unfounded at this point.
2.The date and price of the product’s release
The AirPods 2 were released in March of this year, indicating that the next generation model would have been released in the first half of 2021. Despite the fact that Apple hosted an event in April, no indication of the AirPods 3 was there, and the anticipated release date of 18 May was also incorrect.
While there are currently no more rumors revealing a particular debut date, manufacturing is said to begin in August, suggesting that we should see them before the end of the year. As Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has reported, the entry-level AirPods update will be available before the end of the year. Gurman is known for being a very trustworthy source.
Price-wise, if Apple were to partner with another firm, it is conceivable that the AirPods 3 would aim to compete in the $99/£99 market, which seems to be the main battlefield for truly wireless earbuds. It’s more probable that they will be priced around $150/£150 since Apple is not known for being too concerned with pricing points in the past.
3.Conceptualization and addition of additional features
A shorter design, similar to the AirPods Pro?
It’s possible that a sweatproof fitness version may be released.
Another possibility is that a new version of the regular AirPods will have a somewhat shorter design, similar to the AirPods Pro. According to a few leaked photos, their design will fall somewhere in between the AirPods 2 and the AirPods Pro. Since its debut in 2016, it has been stated that it will get the most significant design change.
Water resistance, as well as some kind of noise reduction technology, have long been rumored. Full active noise cancellation is doubtful since it would require a tight seal, which would almost certainly be reserved for the more costly AirPods Pro, which are expected to be released later this year.
Additionally, a variety of additional hardware improvements, such as a new processor – the W2 has been proposed – better battery life, and increased talk time, may be included. The AirPods will almost certainly come with a wireless charging case, but we don’t expect them to have any sort of noise-canceling technology, instead opting to leave it to the AirPods Pro.
It was initially speculated that the new AirPods will have a different coverage to make them more grippable and less droppable, as well as being available in both black and white color choices, as was the case with the earlier AirPods 2. Is it possible that this will happen with the AirPods 3?
4.Can we expect an AirPods Sport model in the near future?
It’s a no-brainer to make a fitness version.
Is it possible that they are completely waterproof?
Water and sweat resistance is provided by the AirPods Pro, however, they are neither waterproof nor sweatproof. We still believe that a fitness-oriented version of the AirPods, which is both water- and sweat-resistant, may be released in the near future. Sweat may damage headphones, but our AirPods Pro is holding up just fine, thank you very much.
You could take them swimming with you if they were waterproof, and you could monitor their progress using the Apple Watch swim tracking feature. More than likely, though, they will be water and sweatproof, similar to the AirPods Pro, as well.
5.AirPods Pro 3: Here are all of the rumors that have surfaced so far.
The following is a list of all the details about the new AirPods, listed in chronological order.
Apple Watch Series 7 will have the Time to Run function on August 16, 2021, and the M1X MacBook Pro will be available shortly after.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the entry-level AirPods will have the most significant design change since they were first introduced in 2016, featuring shorter stems and a redesigned in-ear form.
21 July 2021: Apple may begin production of the AirPods 3 in the near future, with the iPhone SE 5G expected to follow.
According to sources who spoke with Nikkei, Apple will begin mass manufacturing of the AirPods 3 in August of 2021.
14 May 2021: Will Apple’s AirPods 3 be released on May 18th as previously announced?
It has been revealed by 9to5Mac that Apple will introduce the AirPods 3 next week, according to a leak by YouTuber Luke MIani and published on the Apple Track website.
Apple Event on April 20, 2021, has been confirmed: Here’s when we may expect to see new iPad Pros, iMacs, and airtags.
Apple sent out invites to a special event on April 20th, with the phrase “Spring Loaded” printed on the invitation. Apple’s AirPods 3 may make an appearance during the event, along with AirTags and new iPads, but nothing has been confirmed as of this writing.
Another purported picture of the redesigned AirPods surfaced on April 16, 2021.
Another picture has surfaced, which confirms earlier reports and makes the new AirPods seem a lot like a little less in-ear version of the AirPods Pro, which is a good thing.
15th of March in the year 2021: Could it be that they won’t debut until later in 2021?
Famous Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has now predicted that the next-generation AirPods would not be released until the third quarter of 2021 – most likely with the next-generation iPhone. We had anticipated that they would make their debut in late March. This is not what it seems to be in the image below… Kuo thinks the new headphones aren’t ready yet…
The Apple AirPods 3 may be released on March 11, 2021, according to rumors.
A leak from LeaksApplePro has shown some hands-on images of what the AirPods 3 might look like in the future.
LEAKSAPPLEPRO
9th of March, 2021: Apple is expected to announce an event on March 23rd to showcase AirTags and new iPads.
It has been reported that Apple will host a special event on March 23rd. Apple is likely to unveil the long-rumored AirTags, as well as new iPads, and there has even been a hint that the AirPods would be unveiled during the still unconfirmed event.
22nd of February in the year 2021: Are these the first images we’ve seen of Apple’s upcoming AirPods?
52Audio shared a picture of what seems to be the AirPods 3 on their Facebook page. However, the picture depicts a design that is extremely similar to that of the AirPods Pro, although without the molded tips.
52AUDIO
There is a little difference between the AirPods 2 and AirPods Pro cases in terms of width, and the earbuds themselves are noticeably yet slightly different from the current AirPods on the market.
Will there be an Apple Event on March 16th, 2021, on the 19th of February?
Leaks
According to apple, an Apple event is expected to take place on March 16th. The long-rumored AirPods 3, new iPads, and the long-rumored AirTags are all expected to make an appearance.
Another rumor indicates that Apple AirPods 3 may be released as early as January 27th, 2021.
Digitimes said that Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 3 are expected to be released in the first half of 2021, after reports that a flash storage provider has begun ramping up manufacturing of the new products.
Apple AirPods Pro 2 will be released in April 2021, according to a report published on January 10, 2021.
According to a rumor from Macotakara, the AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro 2 may be released in April 2021, at the same time as the iPhone SE.
Apple releases the AirPods Max on December 9, 2020.
Apple introduced the AirPods Max, a set of high-end wireless over-ear headphones with a wireless charging case. We were under the impression that they would be named AirPods Studio, which had been long rumored. They make use of a lot of the same technology as the AirPods Pro, but they have a louder sound and a more eye-catching metal appearance.
Apple Special Events will take place between September and November 2020, however, no AirPods will be available.
Apple held its Time Flies Special Event on September 15th, during which it announced the Apple Watch Series 6, the Apple Watch SE, a new entry-level iPad, a new iPad Air, and new services such as Fitness+. Then, in October, it introduced the iPhone 12 series, and in November, it held an event that marked the beginning of Apple’s transition away from Intel CPUs and toward its own chips.
A Special Event will be held on September 8, 2020, according to Apple.
This past September, Apple announced that it will host a virtual Special Event on September 15. What will be revealed during the event is still up in the air, although the AirPods 3 are a strong possibility.
Apple AirPods 3 are expected to adopt the design of the AirPods Pro on July 8, 2020.
According to a report, the AirPods 3 will have a redesigned design that is comparable to the AirPods Pro. Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at TF Securities, predicts that the third-generation model would use a system-in-chip approach, similar to the AirPods Pro.
Automatic switching will be available for all AirPods models starting on June 22, 2020.
When you open up your MacBook, iPhone, or iPad, your AirPods will automatically recognize that you’re moving the intended audio source to a different device. This is part of iOS 14, and it’ll be available in the coming months. It will be fascinating to see how this will play out in reality, since what happens if someone else begins to use your second device? It is hoped that it will be customizable.
Additionally, spatial audio will be added to the AirPods Pro, including compatibility for Dolby Atmos, due to the head tracking technology included inside the premium AirPods. This is something we’d want to see inside the AirPods 3.
Apple is expected to begin manufacturing certain AirPods in Vietnam on May 8, 2020, resulting in a possible AirPods 3 delay.
According to the Nikkei, Apple has moved some AirPods manufacturing out of China and into Vietnamese factories. The report also seems to indicate a delay in manufacturing, which may result in the introduction of the new model being postponed until beyond the end of 2020. The move seems to be part of a broader effort to diversify production as the US-China trade war continues to rage on.
6 May 2020: According to an analyst, some AirPods will still be sent.
Apparently, some AirPods are being prepared for shipment, according to Apple analyst Jon Prosser, however, it’s unclear if this is real or not. Because we haven’t heard anything like this from anybody else, we should take Prosser’s statements with a grain of salt.
AirPods 3 are expected to launch in early 2021, according to a report published on April 25, 2020.
According to well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the release of new AirPods is likely to be delayed until 2021 as a consequence of changes in manufacturing. A second-generation AirPods Pro 2 will not be available until the first quarter of 2022, according to him, but we’d caution you to take that statement with a grain of salt.
