Hot off the heels of AirPods 2, Apple is reportedly considering launching two new AirPods models at the back end of 2019, one with an all-new form factor.
According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is expected to send two new AirPods models into mass production by the fourth quarter of 2019 or first quarter of 2020, and companies Luxshare, Goertek, and Amkor are expected to be the primary suppliers.
Kuo’s report suggests that one of the new AirPods models will feature an “all-new form factor design” with a higher price tag than the current AirPods 2, which start from $159 and jump to $199 for those wanting a wireless charging case.
The other AirPods product will keep the same design and pricing as the AirPods 2 but come with under-the-hood improvements.
Apple is expected to change the internals of the new AirPods, designed to improve the yield rates during assembly and reduce costs on the models.
“We expect Apple will likely launch two new AirPods models in 4Q19 at the earliest,” Kuo said in a note. “One is the all-new form factor design at a higher price.
“The other’s outlook and price will be the same as the current model’s. A common internal design factor of these two new AirPods will be to abandon the current “SMT+RFPCB” design and change to adopt the SiP design instead for improving assembly yield rates, saving internal space and reducing cost.”
The analyst added that he was positive on the demand for AirPods and that a new design could help to boost replacement demand and encourage new users to try the product.
Huge sales growth
His note adds that he expects to see Apple ship 52 million units this year, and 75-85 million in 2020 – a huge jump and a new area of growth for the company looking to move away from its reliance on iPhone sales.
Pair that with PowerBeats Pro, and Apple is on to a winner.
Apple unveiled its second-generation AirPods last month, introducing Hey Siri support and offering better battery life than the previous generation.
A charging case was also made available for the first time, rumored to work with AirPower, which Apple later cancelled.
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