Apple-branded headphones for $399 might be around the corner

Apple may be preparing to launch a new pair of headphones — its priciest pair yet.

This is according to tech analyst Jon Prosser, who says Target employees tipped him about a new listing under the name of Apple Airpods (X Generation) with a price tag of $399.99. 

AppleInsider spoke to several Target staffers, which told the outlet that such “placeholder” listings are common, with the name typically being inaccurate, but the price mostly being real. This would explain the “Airpods” name, which doesn’t have the capitalized P in the Target listing and is unlikely to correspond with an actual AirPods device. Apple’s most expensive earbuds are AirPods Pro, which retail for $249.

On its own, this listing could mean a lot of different things; for example, Apple already sells Beats-branded headphones, some of which cost a similar amount. One example is Beats Studio 3, which cost $349.95.

But rumors of Apple launching Apple-branded over-the-ear headphones have been around since 2018, and there’s reason to believe they’ll finally materialize. 

This is because rumors and reports indicate that Apple plans to have an event in March, where it will launch a new affordable iPhone, dubbed either the iPhone SE 2 or iPhone 9. The company is also rumored to be launching AirTags wireless trackers, as well as updated iPad and MacBook devices. Perhaps we’ll see the new headphones at that event as well, as recently indicated by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. 

We don’t know much about the new headphones, except that they’ll likely have noise-cancelling tech, and that they might share some audio DNA with Apple’s HomePod speaker. 

Prosser later said that Target employees also sent him likely placeholders for the new iPhone as well as the new iPad Pro, which is in line with the reports above. And as AppleInsider points out, such placeholders typically turn into actual products within a month, which roughly matches a potential March launch date. 

While Apple’s event is nearly certain at this point, there’s some confusion on when it will actually happen. In a recent report, Bloomberg and Kuo said the coronavirus outbreak is unlikely to postpone the event, whereas Nikkei said the opposite — that delays are very much possible.