AirPods shipments to double to 60M in 2019 on high demand for AirPods Pro, report says

AppleInsider

Shipments of Apple's AirPods headphone line are expected to hit 60 million units in 2019, doubling previous year estimates on the back of strong demand for the new AirPods Pro model, according to a report on Thursday.

AirPods Pro

Citing sources familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reports demand for AirPods Pro has been "much higher" than expected, prompting suppliers to push harder against production capacity and technical limitations.

A number of existing suppliers are vying for a chance to build AirPods Pro, Apple's most feature-rich -- and most expensive -- AirPods model at $249. Certain manufacturers are only now ratcheting up capacity to meet Apple's demands, while others are playing catch-up in terms of production capabilities.

Currently, Taiwan-based Inventec Corp. and Chinese firms Luxshare Precision Industry Co. and Goertek Inc. manufacture AirPods for the tech giant, the report said.

As noted by Bloomberg, metrics gathered by Counterpoint Research showed AirPods at the head of the "true wireless" headphone pack in August with 57% of customers opting for the small, white earbuds. While that figure is down from 60% during the 2018 holiday season, Apple as of August led second place Bose by a margin of 18%. Apple subsidiary Beats gobbled up another 26% of the segment with its Powerbeats Pro model.

AirPods launched in 2016 as Apple's first foray into the truly wireless headphone market. An instant success, the company earlier this year followed up on the original with a second-generation device that boasts the efficient H1 processor with "Hey Siri" functionality.

AirPods Pro saw a comparatively muted announcement in October, though the product delivered long-requested active noise cancellation capabilities, a completely redesigned chassis, new audio technology and more. Reviews have been nearly unanimous in their praise of Pro, lauding higher-quality audio, a better fit and increased functionality as compared to older variants.

kevin kee

That's insane.

What makes AirPods Pro tick?
1. ultracompact
2. lightweight
3. noise-isolating
4. sweatproof
5. fits more ears securely
6. delivers better bass and overall sound than original
7. H1 processor

bestkeptsecret

Am I allowed to say that the AirPods Pro are "magical"?

The difference they make, especially in scenarios like gym workouts where there is a constant hum of the treadmill, is phenomenal! The AirPods were spectacular. The AirPods Pro push even further.

You can also choose any colour you like - as long as it is White!!

lkrupp

The only concerns I have about any brand of in-ear, noise canceling earbuds are the bozos walking down the street totally oblivious to what’s going on around them. Combine these idiots with a Tesla on autopilot and, well, you know.

MacPro

lkrupp said:

The only concerns I have about any brand of in-ear, noise canceling earbuds are the bozos walking down the street totally oblivious to what’s going on around them. Combine these idiots with a Tesla on autopilot and, well, you know.

Splat! 

Yes, I worry about my wife cycling to the gym everyday with her AirPods in for that exact reason.  I've told her till I am blue in the face that hearing is second only to seeing in road safety for cyclists.

sagan_student

bestkeptsecret said:

Am I allowed to say that the AirPods Pro are "magical"?

The difference they make, especially in scenarios like gym workouts where there is a constant hum of the treadmill, is phenomenal! The AirPods were spectacular. The AirPods Pro push even further.

You can also choose any colour you like - as long as it is White!!

I second the magical! It is difficult to comprehend how a device like this even able to exist; it is simply mind blowing. I absolutely love mine!

melgross

I had to check this number in several places to try and make sure a decimal point wasn’t misplaced.

it doesn’t seem so. Have any of you done a little bit of arithmetic yet? Because this works out to a crazy number. If we take an even $200 as the average selling price for all of Apple’s current Airbuds, which is probably close enough, then we get an astounding $12 billion in sales for next year.

this is just for an accessory!

mac_128

MacPro said:

lkrupp said:

The only concerns I have about any brand of in-ear, noise canceling earbuds are the bozos walking down the street totally oblivious to what’s going on around them. Combine these idiots with a Tesla on autopilot and, well, you know.

Splat! 

Yes, I worry about my wife cycling to the gym everyday with her AirPods in for that exact reason.  I've told her till I am blue in the face that hearing is second only to seeing in road safety for cyclists.

She doesn't have to use the noise cancelling while biking. I understand the appeal, but it should be disabled. Particularly because the noise cancelling on these APPs is amazing. I literally cannot hear people talking to me, when it's turned on, even if I am not playing anything over them. I can't wait to try them on a plane. But when it's turned off, I hear external sounds quite clearly and distinctly, even with loud music.

Best Investments I've made in a while. Just ordered mine on Amazon for $234 last week and received a Dec10-Jan23 delivery date. Two days later I got a Dec1-3 revised delivery date, and they arrived yesterday! I'm really pleased with the whole purchase!

I'm not surprised about their success, and have believed really that this area of "Other" has really been driving more revenue than the Apple Watch. Guess we'll never know for sure. But I saw these far more widespread than any Apple Watch when they were first launched -- and still continue to as well.