Apple has so far issued two generations of the AirPods with the last iteration dropped earlier this year. Rumor has it that a plan is now underway to unleash a third sequel that likely will boast of a new design language, improved capabilities, and a higher price tag, the latter due to significant upgrades.
The hints of an imminent arrival for the next AirPods have been so far supplied by well-known Apple-centric analyst Ming-chi Kuo, Forbes reported. And foremost of the step ups mentioned by Kuo is the introduction of the new AirPods look that will make it more ergonomic.
"Rumors have suggested cladding it in a different material finish that is less slippy and encourages the AirPods to stay in the wearer's ears more securely," per the same Forbes report.
According to T3.com, Apple has a patent filing for a universal bud design that when applied with the next AirPods release will make the listening accessory work perfect on both the right and left ears. And possibly another tweak will involve the finish, which could possibly mean the AirPods availability in colors other than white.
The best bet on this is Black, which should prove a bestseller if the speculations will turn out accurate.
Also, there might be an upgrade that will make the AirPods more durable, possibly in terms of better protection from sweat or another form of liquids, waterproofing that is, and a sort of shock-proofing that will not break the earpiece when dropped accidentally.
As for the components inside the device, it is believed the third AirPods will simply carry over what was provided with the second-generation release. Inverse said inside the AirPods 3 will be the Hi1 chip that Apple had used with the last installment, and that's because "it's unlikely that it (Apple) will release higher-end components in the span of a few months."
Take note that the AirPods 2 touched down March this year, so this makes sense when going by the previous product releases from the tech giant.
Now the biggest concerning the device is its price tag. With the supposedly compelling upgrades packed with the AirPods 3, will the product come with a higher asking price than the last version? The possible answer is year considering that a major redesign might be applied by Apple engineers.
That could mean the next AirPods will sell over the $199 sticker price that it first came with though it must be noted that the pricing includes the wireless charging case.
If Kuo's latest reading on Apple's plan, the AirPods 3 release date will happen in the latter part of 2019. There will be two possible scenarios for this: either the device is set to debut along with the 2019 iPhone models, or it will be a Holiday Season rollout for the AirPods 3.
