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'iPhone 12' predicted to ship without EarPods, will boost AirPods sales

AirPods Pro

Ming-Chi Kuo has chimed in on the "iPhone 12," and he thinks that Apple will leave out the EarPods accessory — a move which will ultimately boost AirPods adoption by consumers.

In a note to investors, TF Securities' Ming-Chi Kuo says that he believes that Apple will leave out the $29 Lightning EarPods when the "iPhone 12" ships to consumers. He isn't specific as to why Apple will take the action, but does note that it may dovetail with a promotion for AirPods of some sort.

Furthermore, Kuo sees AirPods demand in the short-term waning, because of larger economic conditions. This is only temporary, though, as he sees growth on the year.

Previously, he predicted about 85 million sets of AirPods shipping. He now sees about 94 million shipping on the year in total, across the entire range of devices.

On April 19, Jon Prosser stated that Apple had a third-generation AirPods refresh ready to go, contrary to what Kuo believes. On April 24, sources predicted that a new AirPods model would incorporate noise cancellation technology. Impact on the battery could be offset by Apple using the manufacturing process improvement to save space internally to to fit extra battery capacity.

This new report from Kuo doesn't mention health monitoring features coming. The AirPods have been long-rumored to get extra health features, however they may be planned for some later generation.

Kuo still sees no refresh of AirPods until 2021. While he does say that the market is expecting a refresh, he believes that the new Apple product is a set of Beats, and not AirPods.