AirPods Pro 3: Apple could have sold more
The third generation of Apple's ANC earbuds, available since October, was a hit. The problem: production couldn't keep up.
Sports enthusiast with AirPods Pro 3: Demand cannot be met.
(Image: Apple)
While iPhone and services business grew strongly in Apple's Christmas quarter, the accessories business stagnated: the Wearables, Home, and Accessories division lost several hundred million US dollars in revenue, even though a new hit product was launched in September. But the AirPods Pro 3, the third and further improved generation of Apple's ANC earbuds, were difficult to obtain at first. CEO Tim Cook had to admit this to analysts last week. Now it has been calculated how expensive this has likely been for the company.
CFO: “Would have grown”
Cook said customer reaction to the AirPods Pro 3 was “incredible.” Sound quality and active noise cancellation, along with increased wearing comfort – which, however, is controversial depending on ear shape – were “hailed.” Cook also praised the translation feature. The problem: Despite the popularity of the devices, production – which is mainly said to take place in Vietnam – could not keep up. “During the quarter, we experienced supply constraints [for the AirPods Pro3],” said CFO Kevan Parekh. Year-on-year, the Wearables division shrank by two percent. “Without the supply constraints, we would have grown in the overall category,” Parekh said.
Videos by heise
Overall, the supply difficulties could have cost Apple a good 230 million dollars, likely more, estimates the Apple blog 9to5Mac. The Wearables division also includes other products like the Apple Watch, as well as peripheral products, HomePods, displays, Apple Pencil, cases, and the Vision Pro. However, none of this helped to compensate for the AirPods Pro 3 shortage.
Sales promotions and a possible second model
What exactly led to the availability problems is unclear. However, the AirPods Pro 3 are more complex than their predecessors. For example, Apple is incorporating a heart rate sensor in earbuds for the first time (after the Beats sub-brand), which is said to be almost as accurate as the one in the Apple Watch. However, it is annoying that the charging case offers a shorter overall battery life (24 instead of 30 hours, including recharging).
Meanwhile, the availability of the AirPods Pro 3 has improved. After Christmas, there were even several sales promotions in retail, and even now the earbuds are comparatively inexpensive (starting from 213 €) (Apple price: 249 Euros). It remains unclear whether Apple will quickly release a second variant: there were rumors that the company wants to equip the earbuds with an infrared camera for gesture control.
Empfohlener redaktioneller Inhalt
Mit Ihrer Zustimmung wird hier ein externer Preisvergleich (heise Preisvergleich) geladen.
Ich bin damit einverstanden, dass mir externe Inhalte angezeigt werden. Damit können personenbezogene Daten an Drittplattformen (heise Preisvergleich) übermittelt werden. Mehr dazu in unserer Datenschutzerklärung.
(bsc)
