Apple Is Rumored To Be Working On High-End Over-Ear Headphones

It is rumored that Apple is working on a pair of headphones to compete with Sennheiser and Bose. The high-end headphones are expected to launch this year.

Back in Feb 2018, Ming-Chi Kuo, an Apple analyst, was the first one to report on the over-ear headphones of Apple. In Kuo’s research note which was published on MacRumors, he said that these high-end headphones could be “as convenient as AirPods with better sound quality." You can read his note below.

Last Jung, Mark Gurman from Bloomberg reported that these headphones of Apple would not be included in the Beats line. (In 2014, Apple spent $3 billion on the acquisition of Beats Electronics.)

Gurman also noted that Apple had wanted to release its high-end headphones at the end of 2018, but postponed the launch date until early 2019 because of “development challenges.”

It is not clear what problems the company may have faced. We know that these headphones will have an Apple logo rather than the Beats one, an upgraded W1 chip like the AirPods. But we don’t have any clues about their look, performance, and cost.

Still, with Apple’s history of personal audio, these premium over-ear headphones will sure become a hit.

Even before the launching of its HomePod speaker, the company was among the world’s biggest speaker producers.

In 2012, over 1.2 million wired earbuds were shipped. And that was way before Apple released its hit AirPods.

There are only a few controls on the wired earbuds of Apple, which users can easily use them without looking.

On the other hand, AirPods have excellent wireless controls which include the ability to pause and restart playback when you take one out of your ear. You can also double-tap to speak with Siri or for playback control.

Even before the company announces the new headphones, they are likely to receive a lot of attention and anticipation. This is probably because they already have a solid reputation, along with a built-in fan base.

Apple also has a secret weapon, which is its W1 chip offering instant pairing, incredible range, and strong battery life.

The unique thing about the Cupertino giant is its ecosystem. The quality of each Apple product gets better with other Apple products that you own.

For instance: Most people pair their AirPods with their phones, just like any other kind of Bluetooth headphones. The thing that AirPods can do while other wireless headphones can’t is that you can also pair them with your Apple TV to watch shows or movies, use Siri for playback control, subtitles, etc.

This new pair of over-ear headphones would own similar benefits but a different style from the AirPods. Many are speculating this Apple product would have over-ear headphones’ distinctive feature, which is noise-cancellation.

It’ll be interesting to wait and see if the company is able to deliver the fundamentals but go above and beyond to bring about a truly different experience as well. Maybe you can choose what noises to be canceled or enhanced, just like what Doppler Labs offer.

But even when the new headphones of Apple are not really different-looking or having any futuristic features, there are two things you should be expecting: they will be undoubtedly popular and absolutely expensive.

The price for a pair of AirPods is $160. So it would not be a surprise if the new over-ear headphones cost $350 or even more, which is a common price for premium headphones. In 2018, the company decided to increase prices for its products, so if the trends continue, it would not be surprising at all, especially for a first-generation product.