It is being reported that at least seven Apple suppliers have started circuit board-related shipments for upcoming Apple products. This includes the components for the upcoming AirPods. An earlier report claimed that the mass production of the third-generation AirPods would begin in the third quarter of 2021. If the mass production begins in the third quarter of 2021, the device is likely to launch later in the year in Q4.

“Suppliers including Semco, LG Innotek, Kinsus, Unimicron, Nan Ya, Zhen Ding, and AT&S have all kicked off their BT substrate shipments for Apple’s next-generation products, including the Apple Watch, AirPods and iPhone, which all adopt SiP modules,” says a paywalled DigiTimes report.

There have been various leaks – from live images to renders – that have given us a look at what to expect next from Apple. The Airpods 3 are tipped to come without the support for the company’s noise-canceling feature. Apple could be developing a system-in-package (SiP) product containing Apple’s H1 chip, which is an AirPod audio driver chip. The next AirPods are said to be around 20 percent lower than the price of the AirPods Pro that comes with active noise canceling technology.

According to the leaked images, the AirPods 3 appear to have taken a heavy dose of inspiration from the AirPods Pro. The stem is significantly smaller compared to the regular AirPods. Further, the design could be half-in ear, which is expected to provide a better fit than the predecessor.

The AirPods 3 have been reported to launch in quarter four of 2021. The second-generation AirPods are priced at $159 with a wired charging case and at $199 with a wireless charging case. And the AirPods 3 are tipped to cost less than the AirPods Pro, which cost $249 regularly but are frequently on sale.

Via: MacRumors