AirPods Shipments Expected to Double to 60 Million This Year on Strength of AirPods Pro

Shipments of Apple's popular AirPods lineup are projected to double to 60 million in 2019, according to Bloomberg. The strong growth is due in part to "much higher" early demand for AirPods Pro than Apple had expected.

airpods family

The $249 AirPods Pro -- which offer noise cancellation and water resistance -- have surpassed expectations and demand for them is pushing Apple’s assembly partners against capacity and technical constraints, a person familiar with the matter said. Multiple suppliers are competing for the business of manufacturing the Pro earphones, though some are still building up the technical proficiency.

After a ramp-up in popularity of the original AirPods, which debuted in late 2016, Apple has released two updates to the lineup this year, with second-generation AirPods in March and the new ‌AirPods Pro‌ just a few weeks ago.

Apple Watch and AirPods are the two cornerstones of Apple's push into wearables so far, and both have seen strong growth over the past few years. AirPods are the market leader in true wireless earphones, which are proving popular with consumers. While there are some competitors like Sony and Google already in the market, the launch of Microsoft's Surface Earbuds has been pushed back until at least March.

Related Roundups: AirPods 3, AirPods Pro
Related Forum: AirPods

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Rumored to Use Same Rear Chassis as iPhone 16

Friday July 19, 2024 7:16 am PDT by
Apple will adopt the same rear chassis manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 that it is using for the upcoming standard iPhone 16, claims a new rumor coming out of China. According to the Weibo-based leaker "Fixed Focus Digital," the backplate manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 is "exactly the same" as the standard model in Apple's upcoming iPhone 16 lineup, which is expected to...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Just Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Monday July 15, 2024 4:44 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
bsod

Crowdstrike Says Global IT Outage Impacting Windows PCs, But Mac and Linux Hosts Not Affected

Friday July 19, 2024 3:12 am PDT by
A widespread system failure is currently affecting numerous Windows devices globally, causing critical boot failures across various industries, including banks, rail networks, airlines, retailers, broadcasters, healthcare, and many more sectors. The issue, manifesting as a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), is preventing computers from starting up properly and forcing them into continuous recovery...
iphone 14 lineup

Cellebrite Unable to Unlock iPhones on iOS 17.4 or Later, Leak Reveals

Thursday July 18, 2024 4:18 am PDT by
Israel-based mobile forensics company Cellebrite is unable to unlock iPhones running iOS 17.4 or later, according to leaked documents verified by 404 Media. The documents provide a rare glimpse into the capabilities of the company's mobile forensics tools and highlight the ongoing security improvements in Apple's latest devices. The leaked "Cellebrite iOS Support Matrix" obtained by 404 Media...
Apple Watch Series 9

2024 Apple Watch Lineup: Key Changes We're Expecting

Tuesday July 16, 2024 7:59 am PDT by
Apple is seemingly planning a rework of the Apple Watch lineup for 2024, according to a range of reports from over the past year. Here's everything we know so far. Apple is expected to continue to offer three different Apple Watch models in five casing sizes, but the various display sizes will allegedly grow by up to 12% and the casings will get taller. Based on all of the latest rumors,...
tinypod apple watch

TinyPod Turns Your Apple Watch Into an iPod

Wednesday July 17, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
If you have an old Apple Watch and you're not sure what to do with it, a new product called TinyPod might be the answer. Priced at $79, the TinyPod is a silicone case with a built-in scroll wheel that houses the Apple Watch chassis. When an Apple Watch is placed inside the TinyPod, the click wheel on the case is able to be used to scroll through the Apple Watch interface. The feature works...

Top Rated Comments

Abazigal Avatar
61 months ago
Consumer Reports rank the Samsung earbuds significantly higher on quality and they are significantly more affordable. Choose wisely.
It seems the consumers already have.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
newyorksole Avatar
61 months ago

Consumer Reports rank the Samsung earbuds significantly higher on quality and they are significantly more affordable. Choose wisely.
We don’t want Samsung’s earphones. Gross. Who cares what Consumer Reports says lmaooo.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Justin Cymbal Avatar
61 months ago
I just got my AirPods Pro delivered this week!

I love them! The noise cancellation works great!
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Abazigal Avatar
61 months ago
Quite in line with this article.

https://www.aboveavalon.com/notes/2019/11/19/airpods-are-becoming-a-platform

“AirPods will turn out to be one of the more strategically important hardware products Apple has released this decade. However, you would never know it judging from the way Apple unveiled the device last week. I suspect that was intentional. While the press remains focused on the short-term debate surrounding the iPhone's lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack, few have realized that Apple just unveiled its second wearables platform.”
I do believe that with the AirPods, Apple is well on its way to own the wireless headphones market. While the detractors will dismiss it as overpriced for the sound quality, they once again (predictably) miss the big picture.

This is a runaway train that would be pretty difficult to stop or even slow.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BuddyTronic Avatar
61 months ago

Consumer Reports rank the Samsung earbuds significantly higher on quality and they are significantly more affordable. Choose wisely.
do those Samsung’s magically pair up to Apple TV? Work perfectly with “Find My”? Wise choice is to get the ones made by the guys who make your iPhone I think. But if other brands sound better, or are cheaper, then let the chips fall where they may. Competition is good. But the “wise” choice is something we all decide as individuals
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nicksd84 Avatar
61 months ago
They are indeed fantastic. However they need a reasonable battery replacement price.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)