There have been rumors swirling for a while about Apple holding a product launch event sometime at the end March, but now, a leak from an internal product inventory at Target could give us clues about what kind of devices Apple might show off later this spring.
Detailed by YouTuber Jon Prosser who says he was tipped off by multiple Target employees, a product listing for “Apple AirPods (X Generation)” with a price of $400 suggests that a new very premium version of the AirPods is due out soon. According to AppleInsider who also spoke to Target employees hoping to confirm the leak, early product listings like this are often accurate when it comes to pricing, while the “X Generation” tag is simply a placeholder for a product that hasn’t been officially announced yet.
Furthermore, if we take that $400 price tag and then look at all the current AirPod line, with Apple having already refreshed the original AirPods last spring and introduced the AirPods Pro in late 2019, rumors about Apple planning to release an over-the-ear version of the AirPods (or maybe a new pair of Beats headphones) make a lot of sense—especially with companies like Microsoft having already released their own take on high-end noise-canceling cans with the Surface Headphones.
Along with a new addition to the AirPods family, Prosser says Target employees also found clues about several other upcoming Apple gadgets including a refreshed 10.5-inch iPad and a new iPod Touch priced at $400. Prosser claims that this iPod Touch is actually a placeholder for a new $400 iPhone, though I’m very skeptical of the idea that Apple would actually release a new iPhone with a price that low.
That said, there has been increasing evidence Apple is working on a smaller, mid-range iPhone of some sort called the iPhone SE2 or possibly iPhone 9, which means it’s possible that Apple may launch a refreshed iPod Touch and a new affordable iPhone in March. If Apple does release a new mid-range iPhone, I’m expecting something in the $500 to $650 range.
The one thing that Target’s product inventory didn’t seem to mention are Apple AirTags, which, based on leaks and rumors, are a small new Tile-like device that come with wireless charging and can be attached to various objects to help you find them more easily.
Regardless, if these leaks are any indication, we’d expect Apple to start sending out press invites within the next couple weeks. That means by the middle of March, we should have a better idea if Apple will actually hold a spring launch event, of we’ll have to wait until WWDC for the next Apple keynote presentation.