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The launch of Apple AirPods 3 could be delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to Nikkei sources, Apple is looking to move some of the hardware production from China to Vietnam.
Previous rumors and reports had Apple’s next-generation headphones slated for a launch around the second half of the year, likely alongside the iPhone 12. However, the coronavirus crisis has seen demand for AirPods decrease, which has Apple’s indirect effect decreased the production of the headphones and effectively causing a delay in the production of the AirPods 3.
Since COVID-19 has been affecting manufacturing in China, Apple has moved part of its production to Vietnam in a move to diversify its manufacturer supply chain. Making that move can take time and is also potentially another disruptive factor in the AirPods 3 schedule.
How significant this delay will be is unknown; I could see The launch of the AirPods 3 was delayed by a few weeks, or it could end with the launch of the next-generation headphones in early 2021.
However, Apple analyst and oracle Ming-Chi Kuo recently reported that third-generation AirPods will begin mass production in the first half of 2021, meaning the AirPods 3 may not arrive this year. It’s worth noting that Kuo still expects Apple to launch some sort of AirPods this year, but instead it could be budget-oriented Beats headphones.
It is unclear whether Kuo’s predictions take into account the new delays and Apple’s plans to move some of the production from China to Vietnam. But it could mean that the earliest we’ll see AirPods 3 is in the first half of 2021, possibly even September 2021.
Nothing was said about the production of the AirPods Studio, Apple’s rumored on-ear headphones expected to go into production in mid-2020. And the second-generation AirPods Pro headphones are still a long way off, as Kuo scheduled them to arrive in sometime in 2021 or 2022.
