We’re just a couple of days away from Apple unveiling some new products. The easy bet is that we’ll see some new iPhones, with the iPhone 13 lineup expected to get the big ol’ showcase experience this year. But we’re also supposed to see a new Apple Watch, too. And Apple’s truly wireless headphones might not be left out in the cold, either.
Swooping in to get some last minute details out there into the wild (via MacRumors (1), (2)), analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is back with an investors note detailing some highlights from the upcoming California Streaming event. Apple’s going to take the stage (so to speak) on Tuesday, September 14, to unveil its fall lineup of products. Which will apparently include the AirPods 3.
It’s been a while since we last heard about these truly wireless headphones. As a refresher, the new standard AirPods, which will probably include a wireless charging case by default, are said to adopt a more AirPods Pro-like design. However, the new headphones won’t have some of the Pro-like features, including Apple’s Active Noise Cancellation feature.
What that actually means in practice, though, remains to be seen. Earlier this year, we saw leaked images of the new AirPods 3 that showed us the headphones won’t boast replaceable silicone ear tips, like the AirPods Pro. But there have been rumors that the new headphones will, so anything’s possible at this point. The AirPods 3 will h ave shorter stems, though, so at least that design detail will match.
As for this report, Kuo says there are two options for Apple moving forward regarding the AirPods lineup after unveiling the newest truly wireless headphones:
We have two scenarios for AirPods pricing: 1) AirPods 3 price is higher than existing AirPods 2, and AirPods 2 price remains the same, or 2) AirPods 3 price is the same as existing AirPods 2 and AirPods 2 price cuts. In scenario one, the market will be neutral on the AirPods announcement. In scenario two, the AirPods announcement will be better than the market expectation for supply chain shipments.
The iPhone 13 lineup
Of course, Kuo couldn’t ignore the iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max with the latest investors note. The legendary analyst says Apple is going to shake things up a bit when it comes to built-in storage options. Namely, the newest iPhone lineup will reportedly start at 128GB of storage. But it’s the Pro options that will see a welcomed change, probably.
Kuo says there won’t be any 64GB options for the new iPhone 13 lineup, which should be a nice change. At least, if Apple keeps the prices the same this year. The Pro lineup, meanwhile, will have four storage option this year, going all the way up to 1TB for the folks who will want to fork over the cash for it.
Here is how the storage options will break down, according to Kuo’s investors note:
iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini
- 128GB
- 256GB
- 512GB
iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max
- 128GB
- 256GB
- 512GB
- 1TB
Apple’s event, California Streaming, starts at 10:00 AM PT/1:00 PM ET on Tuesday, September 14, 2021. We’ll be bringing you all the details as they happen, so be sure to stay tuned.
What are you looking forward to the most being announced on Tuesday?