Apple’s fall keynote is rumored to be jam-packed with new product announcements. But there’s at least one thing you shouldn’t expect: new Beats.
The Cupertino tech giant does not plan to announce any new Beats hardware at tomorrow’s Gather Round event, a source “close to the situation” told The Verge. In fact, the only new headphones expected at the event are an updated pair of AirPods.
Are Beats Falling By the Wayside?
Additionally, there’s a “good chance” that no new Beats products will debut at all in 2018, The Verge notes. If that turns out to be true, this will be the first year without a pair of Beats headphones or a Beats speaker since Apple bought the brand for $3 billion in 2013.
Part of that may be Apple’s increasing shift to releasing audio accessories, like AirPods and HomePods, under its primary brand. There are rumors of the tech firm developing an Apple-branded pair of premium, over-ear headphones — a product that would compete directly with various Beats offerings.
There have been hints to this future in the past few years. Many recent Beats products are incremental updates or refreshes, instead of brand new audio accessories.
Still, Apple isn’t likely to kill off the Beats brand anytime soon. The Apple subsidiary recently inked a deal with the NBA and USA Basketball and it controls about half of the premium headphone market share.
Beats has also done well in leveraging its status as a “staple of youth, sports and fashion culture,” The Verge points out.
Beats products could exist side-by-side with the company’s own Apple-branded headphones. The aforementioned premium, over-ear headphones are likely to make an appearance in the next year or so.
Well-connected Apple analyst said they could debut in the second half of 2018 at the earliest, although an unveiling in 2019 is more likely. Going by the earliest timeline, Apple could indeed debut its premium headphones at its fall keynote and actually launch the devices later in the year.
Beats Refresh in October?
It’s also worth pointing out that Apple has enough product refreshes on its docket to warrant an October special event.
In addition to new iPhones, Apple is rumored to unveil an Apple Watch Series 4, new iPad Pro models, refreshed and new Mac hardware, and its long-awaited AirPower charging mat.
A September keynote with all of those products would be unusually announcement-dense.
It’s looking increasingly likely that Apple will debut new iPhones and Apple Watches this month while saving additional unveilings for later in the year. Updated Beats models could see an appearance at an October event.
Still, all will be revealed at Apple’s Gather Round keynote. The event is slated for 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 12.