Apple Stops Selling Headphones and Speakers From Third-Party Companies Ahead of Rumored Smaller HomePod and AirPods Studio Launch

Apple is no longer selling headphones and wireless speakers from companies like Sonos, Bose, and Logitech, as it prepares to launch a new, lower-cost HomePod and AirPods Studio headphones.

HomePodSeniorAndJunior2 1
According to checks performed by Bloomberg, Apple removed headphones and speakers from Bose, speakers from Logitech's Ultimate Ears brand, and Sonos speakers from its online Apple Store at the end of September. Searching for these products, which were previously sold online and in retail stores, brings up no results.

Employees at Apple retail locations have also allegedly been asked to pull third-party audio products from shelves over the course of the last few days. Retail stores and the online store continue to offer Beats-branded headphones and speakers alongside Apple's AirPods and ‌HomePod‌.

Apple has made similar moves in the past, eliminating stock of fitness trackers ahead of the launch Apple Watch. Apple told Bloomberg that it regularly makes changes to the products that it offers as new third-party accessories are released and the needs of customers change.

Rumors indicate Apple is working on several new audio products, including a smaller, lower-cost HomePod and high-end over-ear Apple-branded headphones that could be called "AirPods Studio," to be sold alongside the AirPods and AirPods Pro.

Both of these new products are expected to launch before the end of the year, and the removal of the third-party audio products from the online store suggests we could be seeing Apple's new audio devices soon, perhaps as soon as the iPhone-centric October event that's rumored to be in the works.

Current rumors indicate that Apple has an event planned for October 13, and if that's the case, we could see an Apple announcement as soon as tomorrow.

Related Roundups: HomePod, AirPods Max, HomePod mini

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

FlyGuyDEN Avatar
50 months ago

HomePod is a great device.
HomePod is a great device as long as you're not interacting with Siri.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FHoff Avatar
50 months ago

I've had no problems with Siri via HomePod.
I’ll second that.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jarman92 Avatar
50 months ago



Come on Apple why can't we have comparisons to other vendors products in the store?
Consumers still have choice, just not at the Apple Store. It's a store for Apple's products...why would they sell products that compete with theirs? Should they also sell Microsoft and Dell PCs? Google phones? Samsung tablets?
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
farewelwilliams Avatar
50 months ago
HomePod is a great device.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
McKodiak Avatar
50 months ago
Apple is removing competing products from it's stores? Don't they have to allow competing products to have prominent floorspace, window advertising, and Apple Genius recommendations all at a 0% fee to the competitor?
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
farewelwilliams Avatar
50 months ago

HomePod is a great device as long as you're not interacting with Siri.
I've had no problems with Siri via HomePod.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)