Updated AirPods with wireless charging case expected in early 2019, redesign coming in lat...
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has updated his predictions for Apple wireless earbud line, with a relatively minor upgrade expected in the next six months, and a more pronounced revision with design changes launching before the end of 2020.
In a note seen by AppleInsider, Ming-Chi Kuo is expecting AirPods with "wireless charging support" and a Bluetooth spec upgrade likely to Bluetooth 5.0 and possibly a revised W-series chip to ship in the first calendar quarter of 2019. This may be nothing more than the already-announced Wireless AirPods Charging case, though. Kuo said nothing in the note about the AirPower mat, still yet to be released after being shown off by Apple brass over a year ago.
More time is spent on the 2020 upgrade in the note, however. That revision will have an unspecified "all-new design," with Apple's intent for the release said to push replacement of the first generation of the product.
Also expected by Kuo is a nebulous "innovative user experience" from them, and a "high integration with iOS and Mac products."
Kuo appears to have unrealistic growth estimates for AirPods, though. While the estimates for about 16 million and 28 million AirPods sold in 2017 and 2018 seem reasonable, predictions of 55 million, 80 million, and 110 million units units sold in 2019, 2020, and 2021 respectively seem overly optimistic at first glance, despite Kuo expecting a larger push towards AirPods than iPhone upgrades.
Kuo was one of the first to get details about the AirPods correct, but he has missed the ball a few times on AirPods, however. Notably, at the tail-end of 2017, Kuo was expecting an improved model to debut in the second half of 2018, which has not materialized.
In a note seen by AppleInsider, Ming-Chi Kuo is expecting AirPods with "wireless charging support" and a Bluetooth spec upgrade likely to Bluetooth 5.0 and possibly a revised W-series chip to ship in the first calendar quarter of 2019. This may be nothing more than the already-announced Wireless AirPods Charging case, though. Kuo said nothing in the note about the AirPower mat, still yet to be released after being shown off by Apple brass over a year ago.
More time is spent on the 2020 upgrade in the note, however. That revision will have an unspecified "all-new design," with Apple's intent for the release said to push replacement of the first generation of the product.
Also expected by Kuo is a nebulous "innovative user experience" from them, and a "high integration with iOS and Mac products."
Kuo appears to have unrealistic growth estimates for AirPods, though. While the estimates for about 16 million and 28 million AirPods sold in 2017 and 2018 seem reasonable, predictions of 55 million, 80 million, and 110 million units units sold in 2019, 2020, and 2021 respectively seem overly optimistic at first glance, despite Kuo expecting a larger push towards AirPods than iPhone upgrades.
Kuo was one of the first to get details about the AirPods correct, but he has missed the ball a few times on AirPods, however. Notably, at the tail-end of 2017, Kuo was expecting an improved model to debut in the second half of 2018, which has not materialized.
Comments
110 million in the field in total by 2021? I'll go with that. 110 million sold in 2021 alone seems improbable. That's the think about analysts predicting sales numbers for products that don't get broken out individually -- we'll never know if they were right, and they can make the predictions and claim that they got it right without fear.
Headphones have to be one of the top accessories purchased for an iPhone, maybe even over cases. It’s a must-have product for many, with wireless headphones a quickly growing segment.
Albeit anecdotal, I’ve seen far more AirPods in the field than Apple Watches. And, I’ve seen them increase much more quickly than the watch. The watch needs the phone, but the phone needs the AirPods, and at a much lower price point. Given the size of the market both products have to potentially permeate, and given the perceived uptake by the AirPods relative to the watch in the first years of their launch, it would seem like the AirPods have a much greater chance to have a much larger uptake into the massive customer base that is the iPhone. 110 million AirPods is only 10% of the current installed iPhone base? That definitely seems doable in a year as wireless continues its growth, and the AirPods continue their development. By contrast, the watch is thought to be barely even something like 3% after as many years?
Besides work calls, I wear them in the gym and have never had a problem of needing to turn them up too loud, they serve this use case perfectly.
Because the W1 chip is helpful, I may consider some Powerbeats for city walks. For all other activity, I love the AirPods. I use them enough I wish the battery life was longer. Using them one at a time isn't really rewarding, and I hate taking recess to charge them, even though a 'quick charge' gives me a fair return on listening time.
So, yes, I've been thinking the same.
But, his Bose provide the ability to select Full noise cancellation, moderate or none. So, that might take care of that problem.
I’ve seen multiple Apple Watches in the field (shopping & at doctor’s offices).
I’ve seen zero AirPods in public; where people need to pay attention to where they are going & are interacting with people.
In public an Apple Watch is a device which can simply be worn in almost any situation where it might be useful as needed (for quietly getting notifications or quickly making payments).
My theory is that there will be a port in the form of the SmartConnector, or some descendent. Apple could route analogue audio over that port, along with USB 2.0 data speeds (which is what they do now over Lightning), and charging. So yet another proprietary dongle, but still the option would exist in the limited circumstances it would be necessary — including resetting a problem device.
Well that’s anecdotal evidence for you. I work on a large corporate campus and I see them worn by professionals all day long. I see UPS drivers with them, I see fast food workers with them, I see people walking down the streets with them, in grocery stores, everywhere.
I have no idea why your experience differs from mine, but I live in an urban area of 10 million people and I see them everywhere, all the time. Watches not so much.
Given that the watch is an extension of the phone which people are already carrying, it makes sense why it wouldn’t be in massive demand, relative to the AirPods which people need to make calls and listen to music, especially since there is no headphone jack in the latest models, and the iPhone otherwise needs a dongle, or special Lightning headset to work with them. While I totally appreciate the watch for what it does, and have used, and purchased them for others, it’s just not a necessity for most people yet. Whereas headphones and headsets have been a part of mobile phone use since the iPhone and Android were released.