Apple may announce a new HiFi option for Music, and launch the third-generation AirPods very soon

We’ve been hearing rumors about the third-generation AirPods for quite some time now. And while expectations had the truly wireless headphones launching in March, that obviously didn’t pan out. And we didn’t see them at the Spring Loaded event in April, either. But maybe May has something in store for us.

According to a couple of different reports, Apple is working on not just the third-generation AirPods, but also a nice boost to audio quality for Apple Music, too. Earlier today, a report said that Apple is going to unveil the new AirPods –and a brand new HiFi tier for Apple Music– in the “coming weeks”. And then, as if to help, code discovered within the iOS 14.6 beta even hints at the new Apple Music tier.

So, maybe a May surprise is in store for us?

AirPods Pro

Third-generation AirPods (finally)

The rumor mill has been spinning for quite some time that Apple has third-generation AirPods waiting in the wings. But the company hasn’t actually announced anything so far. But that may change soon, with the rumor today cropping up saying Apple will launch the new truly wireless headphones in the coming weeks.

It’s possible that Apple may just wait until this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference, which is set to take place in early June. It’s typically a software-heavy event, but Apple has announced hardware in the past. So maybe that’s when we’ll see the new headphones.

Or maybe they’ll just get introduced in a press release sometime in the next couple of weeks.

As far as what they’ll feature, the third-generation AirPods are expected to feature a Pro-like design, with the shorter stem. However, the less expensive headphones (compared to the AirPods Pro) will miss some features, including the Active Noise Cancellation.

Apple Music HiFi

But wait, there’s more! That same initial report also stated that Apple is going to launch a new HiFi tier for Apple Music at some point in the near future. The report indicates it could launch at the same time as the third-generation AirPods.

And in a separate report, MacRumors indicates that code discovered within iOS 14.6’s first beta hints at the upcoming launch of the new HiFi tier.

The good news here is two-fold, actually. The existence of the tier is the start, but it turns out that the new option for Apple Music subscribers will reportedly cost just $9.99 per month. That’s the same price as the normal tier. Hopefully that remains the case.

As far as a release is concerned, it feels like Apple could definitely announce the HiFi option for Apple Music at WWDC this year. That would line up with the nature of the conference in general. But, if the new AirPods feature better audio output in general, maybe unveiling the new truly wireless headphones alongside the new audio tier for its music streaming service works, too.

Either way, we don’t have long to wait if the rumors pan out. And maybe Apple will beat Spotify to the punch.

If Apple Music does launch a HiFi tier, and the new third-generation AirPods actually see the light of day, will you be making necessary upgrades?