Apple's long-rumored AirPods 3 have been one of the most hotly-anticipated wireless earbuds this year, with design render leaks and numerous reports indicating their potential release. If this new report is anything to go by, however, we won't have to wait for the earbuds much longer.
According to sources in a recent report from Hits Daily Double, the AirPods 3 are expected to launch in a matter of weeks, along with a high-fidelity audio streaming tier. What's more, the new subscription service won't cost extra.
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The report states Apple Music's new hi-fi tier will be released in the "coming weeks," with the third-generation AirPods launching alongside.
While the article points out that it is unknown if the new AirPods will work with hi-fi audio, we find it unlikely the tech giant would release a new product and subscription service and not have them work together.
As for the hi-fi streaming tier, the report claims it will be priced at $9.99 per month. That's what an Apple Music subscription currently costs, which means users are getting an upgrade without having to spend anything extra. This price point is clearly looking to drive more users into using Apple Music, competing with Spotify's upcoming HiFi service with CD-quality, lossless audio.
To back up the announcement, 9to5Mac spotted references to Apple's premium hi-fi tier in the beta for iOS 14.6, specifically mentioning “Dolby Atmos,” “Dolby Audio,” and “Lossless.”
Apple Music was originally announced at a WWDC event, and with Apple's WWDC 2021 event taking place this June, we may not see the announcement until then. That said, we've seen new products launch prior to the event in 2019, including the iPod Touch. Along with this, the launch of devices like the popular AirPods Pro didn't coincide with an Apple event.
Like most leaks, nothing is set in stone. If you are looking for some high-quality audio right now, the best wireless headphones on the market will sort you out.
(H/T Forbes)
