Apple is rumored to release a high-end over the ear headphones, dubbed StudioPods, early this year.
According to Ming Chi Kuo, KGI Securities analyst, the newest Apple headphone was slated to be in development as early as the fourth quarter of 2018. Patent activity regarding “headphones that have adjustable bands” have been released, with possible noise cancellation technology thrown in. Furthermore, the headphone is expected to have wireless pairing as with the AirPods and wireless charging as well.
Taipei-based Primax and SZS are both slated to spearhead the hardware aspect in the creation of the StudioPods.
A more recent report by Bloomberg says the over-ear headphones could arrive within the first half of the current year.
The 2019 StudioPods will have a price tag that exceeds that of its in-ear cousin, the AirPods. Following the trend of the HomePod speaker (which had a $349 price tag), the StudioPods will most likely target the premium market and high-end consumers. More importantly, the new product will rival Bose and Beats by Dre headsets, the latter being Apple’s own.
