Apple’s over-ear headphone rumors reignited by leaked icons

By Nick Woodard March 9, 2020

The concept of Apple over-the-ear headphones has been a long-standing rumor, without much concrete evidence behind it. Until now, that is, because a pair of icons have hinted at what the iconic brand is up to.

Two icons displaying light and dark models of Apple’s potential over ears have been discovered in iOS 14 code, first reported by 9to5Mac. It’s certainly not much to go off of, but the icons do allow us to infer a few details about these potential Apple cans.

iOS 14 icon leak reveals first look at Apple’s high-end, over-ear headphones with AirPods features ????https://t.co/UMzAyj2595 by @apollozac pic.twitter.com/NnugK8ObzY

— 9to5Mac.com (@9to5mac) March 9, 2020

From the colors of the icons, it looks like Apple will carry a white and a black or space gray version of these headphones. The HomePod has similar color options, so even though Apple’s AirPods have only been offered in white, there is precedent for Apple to go this route with the color scheme.

The size of each headphone in the icons should also be noted, indicating a sizable cup and significant padding. The band itself also looks fairly thick. Though, it’s once again worth noting, these are just icons we’re musing about.

If the rumored headphones carry features akin to the AirPods, they will be able to do things like automatically pause and resume audio when you take them off or put them on. It’s also reasonable to expect the headphones to have some form of active noise cancellation, as Apple will likely want to compete with headphone juggernauts like the Sony WH-1000XM3.

There is no timetable for when we might see these headphones since Apple has yet to officially confirm they’re being developed. Apple-branded over-the-ear headphones have been rumored since 2018. So, while these icons could be a sign that Apple is entering the over-ear market soon, don’t be surprised if we don’t see them for a while.

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