Apple is working on a set of premium over-ear headphones for release sometime in 2020, with increasingly reliable leaker John Prosser now claiming that the upcoming audio accessory will be priced at $349 and use AirPods rather than Beats branding.
According to his tweet, they’ll cost $349 and be marketed as “AirPods Studio”.
For those wondering, this isn’t the same product as so-called “AirPods X” that Prosser mentioned a while back. AirPods X, according to Prosser, is a totally different product for jogging and sports and has nothing to do with the upcoming over-ears headphones.
Many people have opined that Apple would be foolish to abandon Beats branding considering it paid more than $3 billion for Beats Electronics. I actually think the move might make sense.
AirPods have been going crazy strong, becoming a cultural phenomenon similarly to the iPod in its heyday. Sticking with the AirPods branding for the rumored over-ear headphones would capitalize on the power of AirPods branding in ways more than one.
More importantly, this branding change could imply that Apple’s long-erm play in the audio market involves distancing itself from Beats branding as Prosser himself alleged recently.
“Pods” = music to Apple.
iPod
HomePod
EarPods
AirPods— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) May 9, 2020
Last but not least, Prosser alleges that the rumored over-ear headphones could launch soon because they are apparently ready for release (another finalized Apple updated ready to go: a new iMac). Prosser has become a reliable Apple leaker, accurately predicting the launch dates of the new iPhone SE and the updated 13-inch MacBook Pro.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported in mid-April that Apple has been preparing a pair of premium noise cancelling over-ear headphones, featuring the magnetic ear cups and headband so you can swap them out like you can customize an Apple Watch.