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AirPods X – over-ear headphones coming soon?

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AirPods have been a huge hit for Apple, with the premium “true wireless” in-ear headphones taking the world by storm since their introduction in 2016.

They’ve become a trendy best-seller for Apple and spawned a sea of copycat products from other companies. Though they’ve been praised for their audio quality – and their unlikely ascension as a fashion accessory – the real killer feature of AirPods is the wireless chip that allows for seamless connection with Apple devices.

Gone are the days of painstakingly complex and unreliable Bluetooth headphones, especially with the second-generation AirPods and the premium AirPods Pro models released more recently.

So it’s no surprise that Apple is widely expected to release a set of over-ear headphones under the AirPods name.

According to a report, citing leaks from upcoming inventory systems at Target, we could be seeing such a product relatively soon. The report shows a believable name and price – AirPods (X Generation) and $399 – although there’s no reason to believe Target alone has advanced intel on Apple’s plans. It’s worth noting that Target’s inventory also has placeholder slots for Apple TV X Gen, iPod touch X, and Apple Watch Series X. It’s likely nothing more than guesswork from the retail giant, but we certainly wouldn’t be surprised to see this particular prediction come true.

How far from the Beats design might AirPods X stray?

Of course, Apple already owns the popular Beats range of headphones, some of which already use Apple’s wireless chip for connectivity. But a fully home-grown AirPods-style take on over-ear headphones could be a gamechanger. No matter how good in-ear headphones get, they can’t compete with a high-quality pair of studio headphones for immersion and depth of sound.

Apple is allegedly on course to launch the “iPhone 9” at the end of March, and in past years it has unveiled other products at this time of year, too. Maybe we’ll see more than just a new iPhone next month?