What you need to know
- Analyst Dan Ives has had his say on AirPods 3, saying they will likely be announced on Monday.
- AirPods 3 are expected to look more like AirPods Pro than previous versions.
Apple's 'Unleashed' MacBook Pro event is expected to also bring with it new AirPods, something that analyst Dan Ives has now backed up. According to Ives, via a Wedbush Apple company report, there is a "high likelihood" that AirPods will be announced on Monday.
Set to look similar to the current AirPods Pro, the new earbuds have been expected for months now. Ives gets into that in the report, saying that Wedbush knows based on its own supply chain checks that AirPods are produced and ready to ship. Now it's just a matter of time — when will Apple pull the trigger?
The same report goes on to say that Ives expects AirPods to ship in huge quantities during 2022, thanks in part to the refresh. Close to 100 million pairs of AirPods could move through Apple Stores and retail partners, the report continues.
As much as it looks like we could finally see the new AirPods be announced, it's important to remember that we've been here before. Analysts and commentators have expected Apple to announce these very same AirPods during every event over the last year — and so far, so little AirPods.
Whenever they're announced, it's likely we can still expect supply constraints despite Ives' insistence that the holiday season should still be good to go. Given the stock shortages currently hampering iPhone 13, iPad mini, and Apple Watch Series 7, there's no telling how easy it will be to get our hands on Apple's next earbuds.
