Kuo: Mass Production of New AirPods to Begin in Q3 2021

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo states that Apple will not start mass production of the AirPods 3 until the third quarter of this year. According to earlier rumors, Apple would already release these earplugs later this month.

Ming-Chi Kuo states in his new report that the AirPods 3 are not yet ready for introduction, MacRumors writes. With this, the analyst counters rumors that have been circulating in recent weeks about the introduction of those earplugs. According to leakers like Jon Prosser, the new AirPods would be released this month, at an event on March 23.

There are also different renders and Pictures of the AirPods 3 appeared, showing that the earbuds would have an AirPods Pro-like design, but without silicone tips or active noise cancellation. That would suggest that the earbuds will be released soon, but according to Kuo, this is not the case. Apple also hasn’t confirmed the alleged event on March 23, though it’s possible the company may showcase other products on that date.

According to Kuo, Apple’s deliveries of earplugs will also decline in the coming year. In 2020, the tech company shipped 90 million AirPods. The analyst expects this to drop to 78 million copies next year. This would be due to increasing competition from other manufacturers. According to the analyst, it is still unclear whether the current AirPods 2 will be taken out of production when the new models appear.

A render of the alleged AirPods 3. Image via GizmoChina