Apple High-End Wireless Over-Ear Headphones To Have Noise-Canceling Feature

It was rumored last month that Apple was developing its own brand of high-end over-ear wireless headphones. That rumor is now being taken a lot more seriously since another report has popped up claiming it to be true.

Apple’s over-ear wireless headphones are said to feature noise-canceling and will compete with market leaders like Bose and the tech giant’s own Beats by Dre brand. People familiar with the development of the upcoming product claim that Apple plans to launch these headphones by the end of this year, according to Bloomberg.

Sources say that Apple has been developing these high-end wireless headphones on-and-off for the past year. Apparently, the tech giant has faced “development challenges” that could potentially push back the product’s release. If true, it seems like Apple may be having the same problems that it faced when it was developing the HomePod. It’s entirely possible that Apple may redesign the headphones again before the product launches, but the device may also be scrapped.

Aside from including noise-canceling capabilities, sources say that Apple’s over-ear wireless headphones may also include the same wireless paring capabilities of the AirPods. For the uninitiated, Apple’s AirPods include the W1 chip that makes wireless pairing to the company’s other devices easy and simple.

Last month, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple’s over-ear headphones will come with an “all-new design” and that it would be as convenient as the AirPods. With Bloomberg’s report and Kuo’s prediction aligning with one another, it seems apparent that Apple is indeed working on its own high-end wireless over-ear headphones.

To be clear, this new headphones will be completely separate from the AirPods and Apple’s own Beats products. The new set of over-ear headphones is expected to be released by Apple under its own brand. The AirPods have been successful to say the least and perhaps Apple wants to capitalize on that. But what about Beats? The high-end Apple-branded wireless headphones may not directly compete with that brand since Beats still offers more affordable options.

The pricing for the new Apple headphones is seen as the key to all of this. MacRumors pointed out that Beats, Bose and Sony all offer high-end ANC headphones for $350, while Sennheiser has products that cost as much as $500. If Apple is planning to price the headphones similarly to the HomePod, then consumers should expect an expensive price tag. The Apple AirPods currently sell for $159.