Production on the Apple AirPods Studio has reportedly already started

AirPods Studio mockup
A mockup of what the AirPods Studio could look like by Curved. (Image credit: Curved)

We've heard plenty of rumors about the AirPods Studio over-ear headphones, but when will you actually be able to get your hands on them? Sooner rather than later, probably, because production is reportedly now underway.

This claim comes from a more wide-ranging article over on DigiTimes, a Taiwanese outlet that has been fairly accurate in its supply chain information in the past. The report also notes that demand for the AirPods (2019) has slowed down recently.

If the new headphones are already working their way through the factory, they're likely to be ready to ship in a matter of weeks, and an announcement could be imminent. The DigiTimes article doesn't offer up an exact launch date though.

June has previously been mentioned as the month when the AirPods Studio might break cover, based on some reliable sources, and that fits in with what we're now hearing from DigiTimes – so these headphones could help soundtrack your summer.

Something in the AirPods

We've also heard that the new over-ear AirPods are going to have plenty of smarts built in: like the ability to detect which ear is which while you're wearing them, for instance, and an auto-pause feature when you take the headphones off.

You'd be forgiven for getting a little confused with all the AirPods rumors floating around at the moment, because there's also been talk of a sporty version of the AirPods that are perhaps going to be called the AirPods X.

All this is on top of the development of the standard AirPods and the AirPods Pro. The latest word on the Apple street is that updated versions of the normal AirPods won't be with us until sometime next year.

As for the AirPods Studio, we might get an announcement about them at Apple's WWDC 2020 event, starting on June 22, which this year is online only. WWDC is aimed at developers and is very software-focused though, so it's just as conceivable that the new AirPods will be launched separately.

Via MacRumors

David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.