New AirPods with wireless charging in 2019
Apple’s popular wireless earphones “AirPods” are expected to launch with wireless charging support in the first quarter of 2019 and an upgraded design is set to roll out in 2020, says KGI securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
According to Kuo, the new earphones will feature inductive charging, which will require the creation of a new case that will probably result in an increase in the current AirPod price of $159.
This isn’t surprising — rumors of a new AirPods model have been swirling for months. In fact, the surprising thing here is that Apple hasn’t released an update sooner than expected, as it usually outputs product refreshes yearly. The AirPods came out in 2016.
The rumor inevitably raises the question of the AirPower mat inductive charging station which was presented by Apple in 2017, but whose launch has since been delayed or possibly abandoned.
Kuo added that the upgrade will be followed by a redesign of the AirPods, although the analyst does not go into details of what this will entail, which will not be scheduled before 2020.
Overall, Ming-Chi Kuo is enthusiastic about the growing market for AirPods, which he describes as Apple’s “most popular accessory ever,” and foresees sales rising to 100 million units per year between now and 2021.
Edited by Neo Sesinye
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