Apple first introduced the AirPods in September 2016 with the Apple Watch Series 2 and the iPhone 7, but there is still no word from the company about the release of the AirPods 2. Recent leaks suggested that the upgraded wireless Bluetooth earbuds will be out before the year ends, or early in 2019.
One of the trusted Apple insiders, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously said that the company will either launch the AirPods 2 in late 2018 or early 2019 of which the former was believed to be the perfect time to release the upgraded earbuds. Even a prolific leaker, Ice Universe (@UniverseIce) wrote on Twitter that the tech giant will "definitely" launch the wireless earbuds before 2018 ends.
A few days after the leak, another insider Mr. White (@laobaiTD) posted photos on Twitter that showed dozens of AirPods cases although he never captioned the post. When asked about the photos, he responded to another Twitter user that those are still not out in the market, and people were quick to speculate that those were the AirPods 2.
Now, a recent leak suggested that the AirPods 2 will be in the store shelves in early 2019, as per a new investor note from Ming-Chi Kuo, according to BGR. Apple's wireless Bluetooth earbuds sales have continued to grow in the past two years, but the tech giant never revealed its revenue.
However, Kuo suggested that Apple will get more profit from it with an estimated value of 28 million units sold as soon as 2018 ends. He added that the company will release another upgrade for the AirPods in 2020 with a brand new design although there is still no other information about this.
The AirPods 2 are expected to have the same design although it is expected to be more advanced than the innards of its predecessor. It will reportedly have noise cancellation features, improved water resistance, and an advanced audio chip that supports Apple's digital assistant Siri even better.
It is also said that the next-gen AirPods will come with wellness and biometric sensors, and will work with Apple's newest AirPower wireless charger. Because the wireless Bluetooth earbuds remain the hottest device in the market, Kuo believes that the tech giant will sell more than 55 million units in 2019 and around 110 million units in 2021, especially when the new design will see the light of day in 2020.
Apple remains tight-lipped about the release of the AirPods 2, but people expected that they should be out in the first quarter of 2019.
