Apple's first over-ear headphones – expected to be called Apple AirPods Studio – have been rumoured for years, but now a launch could be tantalisingly close. An icon representing the pair has been spotted in the first beta for the latest version of iOS, not only building a more accurate picture of the headphones but also implying it won't be long before they get an official unveiling.
The icon (above) was spotted by Steve Moser from MacRumors and by 9to5Mac. It appears in a video within the Find My app in the beta for iOS 14.3.
New Pairing video in the Find My app in iOS 14.3 beta 1 with the codename Hawkeye hints at Apple Tags support and new Apple over ear headphones. pic.twitter.com/oVdCLQcaWcNovember 12, 2020
The Find My app is currently used to locate your misplaced or lost Apple devices. Apple is rumoured to be working on Tile-style Apple Tags that would attach to other items too, like luggage, keys and so on – which would also be located using the Find My app.
This isn't the first time we've seen an over-ear headphones icon appear within iOS. Back in March, two similar graphics appeared, suggesting the Apple AirPods Studio would come in both black and white versions. But those icons looked a little different, suggesting Apple's design has since changed. Apple could, of course, just be using this icon as a generic representation of over-ear headphones in general, to illustrate that its Apple Tags can attach to them.
That said, Apple has form in this area. The AirPods Pro design appeared in icon form within iOS just weeks before they launched, so we could be very close indeed to seeing Apple's first over-ear headphones in the flesh. Apple's 'One More Thing' Mac event earlier this week seemed to be a wrap for the firm where 2020 product launches are concerned, but we're betting on an Apple AirPods Studio launch early in 2021 – which would tie into rumours.
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