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Apple StudioPods: Are over-the-ear AirPods prepping to launch?

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Apple may be gearing up to launch its own branded over-the-ear headphones, the long-rumored StudioPods.

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According to a tweet from tech analyst Jon Prosser, employees at retail giant Target have found a listing for a new version of Apple AirPods in the company’s internal systems. This listing could refer to Apple producing its own over-the-ear StudioPods headphones, perhaps to launch as soon as next month with a listing price of $399.

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Multiple Target employees have started reaching out to me about this 🤔

Showing up in their systems and on UPC scanners is this mysterious “Apple AirPods (X Generation)” listing, priced at $399. 👀

Potentially Apple’s over-ear “StudioPods” headphones. Launch soon (March)? pic.twitter.com/NVcqH8As47

— jon prosser (@jon_prosser) February 22, 2020

In a follow-up tweet, Prosser noted that there are three SKUs listed on the Target system, all for the same price. This suggests the headphones could come in three color options, possibly grey, white, and gold.

Target staff could not provide more information about the listing, according to AppleInsider, but they did confirm that Target uses placeholders in its systems for new and upcoming products with pricing information provided in advance by manufacturers. The names used for these placeholders are often inaccurate, unfortunately, so “Apple AirPods X” is likely a temporary name, not the name that would be used for the product at launch.

Apple currently offers over-the-ear headphones through its subsidiary Beats, including the Beats Solo Pro, and also sells Bose over-the-ear headphones in its store. But this would be the first time in recent history that Apple has produced its own branded over-the-ear headphones. Speculation about the headphones’ features include the addition of noise cancellation features and highly accurate sound.

As well as the headphones, the Target systems also list two other new products, described as an “iPod Touch X generation” and an “iPad 10.5 X.” Prosser writes that the iPod Touch X generation is highly likely to be a new affordable iPhone, priced at $400 and possibly coming in six color options and that the iPad 10.5 X is most likely a new version of the iPad Pro.

This latest information comes in addition to the rumored release of a cheaper version of Apple’s AirPods Pro, called the AirPods Pro Lite. Production of the AirPods Pro Lite is reportedly going ahead, even with the issue of the coronavirus outbreak, which has been causing problems with hardware production in the tech industry.

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Georgina Torbet
Georgina Torbet
Space Writer
Georgina is the Digital Trends space writer, covering human space exploration, planetary science, and cosmology. She…
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