Apple could introduce premium AirPods and over-ear headphones in 2019

Following the unveiling of the AirPods back in September of 2016, Apple is understood to be preparing a new iteration that will be sold alongside the current-generation pair and will act as a more premium offering, thus signaling a higher price tag. In order to justify the increase in price, though, the company is reportedly looking towards the inclusion of support for noise-cancellation and the introduction of water resistance. Furthermore, Apple is said to be trying to increase the range at which AirPods can be used away from a connected device and is currently researching the possibility of a built-in heart-rate monitor. When it comes to the near future, however, an updated pair of the current earphones that will incorporate a new sound chip and hands-free Siri activation should arrive later this year, possibly alongside the new iPhone lineup.

Aside from the premium AirPods, the company is also said to be working on its first pair of over-ear headphones that will make use of the Apple's dedicated chips and will sit above its Beats-branded lineup when it comes to pricing. Moreover, it’s revealed that Apple is already preparing a successor to this year’s HomePod which will likely launch alongside the other audio products next year.

Presently, Apple is yet to finalize any manufacturing deals for its new audio products, but the brand’s over-ear headphones are expected to be made by Tymphany which specializes in consumer audio systems, although a deal is yet to be agreed upon. Moreover, in terms of the new HomePod and AirPods, these are expected to be manufactured primarily by Foxconn due to previous supply problems that resulted from Apple’s partnership with Inventec. Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that the latter company has recently met up with Apple in a bid to secure future orders.

source: Bloomberg