Apple's over-ear AirPods Studio could 'drop at any time' with Bose-rivaling price tag

by Adrian Diaconescu

May 10, 2020, 8:48 AM

Beats Studio3 headphones

Not content with merely dominating the thriving true wireless earbuds market, Apple also wants to move deeper into the high-end audio territory controlled by the likes of Sony and Bose. Of course, the Cupertino-based tech giant already owns Beats, which sells everything from $60 entry-level earphones with Lightning cables to premium on-ear wireless cans fetching 350 bucks a pair.

Based on a pretty wild rumor started by one of the most reliable Apple leakers in the world about a month ago, however, the Beats brand could be headed out the door, which would explain why the number one true wireless earbuds vendor is widely expected to release a self-labeled pair of over-ear wireless headphones for quite some time now.

These bad boys have been largely shrouded in secrecy until recently, when another rock-solid source of inside information on unannounced Apple products revealed one of their top selling points. Now it's time to turn our attention back to Jon Prosser on Twitter once again for "confirmation" on the official name and recommended price of the fast-approaching high-end cans.

Get ready to welcome the Apple AirPods Studio in the very near future, ladies and gents, and pay $349 if for some reason you don't like how the Bose 700 or Sony WH-1000XM3 look on paper. The latter model just so happens to cost 350 bucks as well, while the Bose 700 are normally available at $400. Then again, both existing high-end audio accessories can be frequently purchased at substantial discounts, not to mention we expect Sony to unveil the WH-1000XM4 too before long.

In other words, turning the AirPods Studio into a box-office hit may not prove as easy as it was getting the original AirPods into millions and millions of ears around the world, although the customization angle could definitely help with differentiation.

The AirPods Studio are naturally tipped to integrate active noise cancellation technology and Siri assistance as well, and according to Jon Prosser, they "could drop at any time", possibly followed by a $200 BeatsX-like AirPods X variant later this year.

In case the Studio name sounds familiar, by the way, there have actually been three different Beats Studio generations released in recent years, none of which however proved as popular as Bose and Sony's high-end over-ear cans.