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Kuo: Apple may not include EarPods headphones in iPhone 12 box to boost AirPods sales - 9to5Mac
According to the latest report from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple may not include the wired EarPods headphones in the box...
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According to the latest report from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple may not include the wired EarPods headphones in the box of the iPhone 12. This would naturally drive sales of Apple’s second-generation AirPods, as customers would no longer be getting free headphones with their new phones.
Kuo suggests that Apple may heavily promote or discount the AirPods this holiday season, with no new models of AirPods or AirPods Pro expected until 2021.
When the iPhone 7 removed a headphone jack, the inconvenience was mitigated by the inclusion of EarPods in the box — most people just use the earbuds the phone comes with. If Apple no longer offers it, that means customers needing new earbuds will be forced to buy either MFi Lightning proprietary wired headphones like EarPods, or spend more on Bluetooth wireless options such as AirPods.
Although the epidemic led to a sales decline in the second of this year, he is expecting a rebound by the holiday shopping season including strong year-over-year sales growth of AirPods Pro. Kuo is further increasing his AirPods sales estimates for this year from 80 to 93 million units.
Last month, Kuo set rumor mill expectations by indicating that there would be no hardware revisions to AirPods or AirPods Pro this year.
With second-gen AirPods being about eighteen months old by the time the iPhone 12 launches, it is possible Apple drops the price further to incentivize add-on sales. However, supply analyst Kuo naturally has no firm details about the company’s marketing plans.
Through Apple retail, customers can buy a pair of EarPods for $29 and the base model AirPods start at $159.
Apple, king of value!