Apple may include AirPods with the next iPhone 12 in 2020. Or not. Taiwan-based electronics industry publication DigiTimes says it is, though.
Of course, this is DigiTimes — a pub that sometimes is completely right getting its information from Apple providers and other times it seems it gets its rumors from the horoscope page. So take all this with barrel of salt.
The news come as part of a larger paywalled report titled "Taiwan chipmakers optimistic about demand for TWS [True Wireless Stereo] earbuds in 2020." According to Gizmochina, Digitimes says that "smartphone vendors including Apple, Samsung, and Xiaomi are looking to bundle their new models with TWS earbuds next year.”
I can imagine that this is to differentiate their flagships and make them more attractive to potential buyers. But while I can imagine Xiaomi — with its low profit margins and prices — doing this, I can't imagine Apple doing it.
In the case of the Cupertino company, it is really hard to imagine Tim Cook renouncing to its biggest cash cow ever. AirPods are, by a very long margin, Apple's fastest growing business and its most profitable line.
According to CNBC, AirPods are seeing a surge of demand so great that they could face a holiday shortage. And analyst firms are predicting that Apple could ship 85 million units in 2020, up from 65 million in 2019.
So why kill the golden goose? It seems rather absurd — but one can wish.
