Apple AirPods 3 could arrive by the end of 2019, according to analysts

Apple AirPods rumors are like weeds, just when you thought you’ve cleared your yard of them, another one pops up. Such was the case today when we caught wind of the new Apple AirPods 3 in a report corroborated by analysts.

The original report, which came from DigiTimes, said that the third-generation of Apple AirPods will arrive by the end of 2019 and will actually pack the features we believed the second-generation headphones would have like noise-cancellation and water-proof casing.

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Shortly after that news broke, an analyst (TF International Securities’ Ming-Chi Kuo) told 9to5Mac that he expects another two models to join the line-up either in late 2019 or early 2020. One of these models would be another incremental update on the second-gen AirPods that just came out, while the other would be something more substantial - i.e. the Apple AirPods 3.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: ‘How can there possibly, possibly be more rumors about a pair of headphones that just came out a few weeks ago?’

To be honest, I’m not sure... but there are.

PSA: Predictions can be wrong

Here’s where it’s our job to point out that predictions, rumors and conjecture can be (and often are) wrong. It’s not that analysts and journalists - ourselves included - aren’t providing the best data we have, we are, but sometimes internal deadlines shift and entire products end up on the chopping block.

With all that being said, you should take rumors with a grain of salt - especially when they involve the most popular products that everyone wants to know more about.

The counterpoint to this is that, sometimes, rumors are accurate and they can be a good way of starting a conversation about the next-generation of technology.

Without direct confirmation from Apple the veracity of these rumors won’t be determined today, but in Kuo's and DigiTime’s defense, the rumors of noise-cancelling AirPods have been floating around for over a year now and at some point are bound to be true - even if the expected release date slips further back.

To a certain extent we’ll get some of these features in the new PowerBeats Pro that are due out shortly and are both sweat-resistant and mildly noise-isolating according to the folks that tried them at a private Apple press event.