After multiple reports suggesting that the AirPods Studio headphones are facing production issues causing a probable announcement delay, one leaker certainly seems to be a bit optimistic.
According to DuanRui, the Apple-branded headphones will launch on November 10 alongside the new Apple silicon MacBook lineup.
In a rather cryptic way, DuanRui tweets that the Apple-branded headphones could be called AirPods Max instead of the name that has been rumored so far—AirPods Studio. That’s highly uncertain, though. However, the best takeaway from his tweet is the mention of the date of November 10.
DuanRui has a fairly reliable leak record. He leaked that the iPad Air 4 would have a fingerprint scanner in the power button and also correctly revealed the name of the iPhone 12 lineup with a bunch of production stickers for Apple’s latest silicon cases as proof. Furthermore, he is also the harbinger of Kang’s leaks from Weibo. Kang is known to be the most accurate leaker there is.
If this rumor turns out to be true, it would be surprising for everyone especially considering what most rumors have been saying about the AirPods Studio headphones.
A previous rumor from Jon Prosser suggested the Apple-branded headphones were facing production delays and wouldn’t “at best” be ready to ship until December with the possibility of them being bumped up to a March 2021 release.
A recent Bloomberg report corroborated those claims agreeing to the production delays. Although, the report didn’t mention when we could expect the AirPods Studio headphones.
So, considering today’s rumor, it’s possible that Apple announces its AirPods Studio headphones at the event on Tuesday. However, they might not be ready to ship until December or next year.
Both Bloomberg and Jon Prosser also say that Apple has cut down on some key features that were initially supposed to be included in the AirPods Studio headphones. Here’s Bloomberg:
“The company initially wanted to include large touch pads on the sides of the headphones, but reduced the size of those panels. Apple has also scaled back some of the interchangeable functionality of the headphones that were a hallmark of the initial concept. The latest version of the product is likely to lack a replaceable headband, but could still include interchangeable ear pads.”
If the AirPods Studio headphones do get announced at the November 12 event, they most likely won’t feature interchangeable headbands, which could be disappointing for some.
Apart from that, the AirPods Studio headphones are expected to sport a U1 chip that could be used for left and right ear positioning. They’ll also include all of AirPods Pro’s tentpole features like Active Noise Cancelation and Transparency modes. Furthermore, they are expected to cost between $300-$500.
It has also been speculated that Apple will launch its Tile-like trackers dubbed AirTags at Tuesday’s event and that they would replace the AirPods Studio announcement. It’s only a matter of days before we find out.
Interestingly, Jon Prosser says “Nah.”
