Rumor: Apple to Announce Third-Generation AirPods and HiFi Apple Music Tier in 'Coming Weeks'

Citing sources within the music industry, Hits Double Daily reports that Apple is preparing to launch a new HiFi Apple Music tier in the "coming weeks," which will come alongside the release of the rumored third-generation AirPods.

General Music and AirPod 3 Feature
According to the report, the new tier, which will offer high-fidelity music streaming, will cost the same $9.99 monthly subscription as the current individual tier. Spotify, ‌Apple Music‌'s most fierce competitor, has announced that later in 2021, Spotify users will be able to "upgrade their sound quality to Spotify HiFi and listen to their favorite songs the way artists intended."

The report says that an announcement of the new Apple Musc tier and the launch of the third-generation AirPods will take place in the "coming weeks." Apple plans to hold its Worldwide Developers Conference on June 7, and while no hardware was announced at the conference last year, hardware announcements are possible at the software-focused event.

The third-generation AirPods are expected to feature a design that's similar to the design language of the AirPods Pro but lack certain "Pro" features such as Active Noise Cancelation. If the rumor is to be accurate, the new AirPods release comes on the backdrop of a report signaling that Apple is cutting back on AirPods production due to decreasing sales.

Related Roundup: AirPods 3
Buyer's Guide: AirPods (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: AirPods

Top Rated Comments

Nimoy Avatar
34 months ago
So they discontinue the Hi-Fi HomePod just before introducing Hi-Fi music streaming? ?
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ipedro Avatar
34 months ago
I thought I read Apple is announcing the iPod HiFi… say what now?
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GermanSuplex Avatar
34 months ago

I have a VERY good amp / speaker home equipment and still a hard time to believe that the normal human ear is able to tell the difference between 256 AAC and lossless - as so many blind tests have proven ...
Studies have proven you right time and again. Anyone can say they “can tell” a difference, but the testing shows most people can’t. It takes the right equipment in the right settings, with the right listener, and even then the numbers of people who can tell a difference are low.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lars666 Avatar
34 months ago
I have a VERY good amp / speaker home equipment and still a hard time to believe that the normal human ear is able to tell the difference between 256 AAC and lossless - as so many blind tests have proven ...
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vagos Avatar
34 months ago
Amazing news. I was waiting for this. I hope it'll be FLAC quality.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dandoodle Avatar
34 months ago
Sounds good, especially if it’s a free upgrade. Expected apple to roll it into Apple one!
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 16 4 Web Push

Apple Confirms Governments Using Push Notifications to Surveil Users

Wednesday December 6, 2023 5:06 am PST by
Unidentified governments are surveilling smartphone users by tracking push notifications that move through Google's and Apple's servers, a US senator warned on Wednesday (via Reuters). In a letter to the Department of Justice, Senator Ron Wyden said foreign officials were demanding the data from the tech giants to track smartphones. The traffic flowing from apps that send push notifications...
best buy snowflakes

Best Buy's New Weekend Sale Has Record Low Prices on MacBook Pro and MacBook Air

Friday December 8, 2023 7:37 am PST by
Best Buy's month-long holiday sale continues this weekend with multiple all-time low prices on Apple's line of MacBook Pro and MacBook Air computers. In addition to Apple notebooks, Best Buy's event has discounts sitewide on home appliances, TVs, video games, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive...
iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
beeper mini

Apple Puts a Stop to Beeper Mini's iMessage for Android Feature

Friday December 8, 2023 2:24 pm PST by
Apple appears to have closed the loophole that Beeper Mini used to bring iMessage to Android, putting a stop to blue bubbles from Android devices. Beeper Mini quit working earlier today, with users receiving "failed to lookup on server: lookup request timed out" error messages. Beeper said on Twitter that it is investigating the issue, but Beeper CEO Eric Migicovsky told TechCrunch that "all ...
maxresdefault

Review: Two Months With the iPhone 15 Pro Max

Thursday December 7, 2023 12:04 pm PST by
Apple's iPhone 15 lineup came out in September, and while most reviews are done shortly after a new device launches, we like to follow up with a longer term review that gives us an opportunity to provide a deeper dive into what it's like using these phones on a day to day basis for months. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera has been...
apple watch black friday

Apple Watch Ultra 2 Hits New Record Low Price of $699, Alongside Series 9 and SE Sales

Friday December 8, 2023 8:55 am PST by
Amazon has a few big discounts on Apple Watch today, headlined by a new all-time low price on the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Many of these watches can be delivered by Christmas, with delivery dates around the middle of next week for most models. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site ...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 May Reuse Existing iPhone 14 Battery

Wednesday December 6, 2023 1:17 pm PST by
Recently, MacRumors has received details on the battery currently being tested on the upcoming fourth-generation iPhone SE, and the information corroborates previous findings in relation to the device. The iPhone SE 4, known by its device identifier D59, is expected to use the exact same battery found in the base model iPhone 14. Partially assembled prototypes of the next iPhone SE have been ...
iOS 17

35 Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 17.2 Coming Next Week

Wednesday December 6, 2023 5:57 am PST by
Apple made the first beta of iOS 17.2 available to developers in October. Since then we've seen three more betas, and with each iteration Apple continues to add more new features and changes, many of which users have been anticipating for quite a while. Below, we've listed 35 new things that are coming to your iPhone when the finalized version is publicly released in mid-December. 1....