Apple’s rumoured plans to release its second-generation AirPods Pro by April have just gained significant traction, thanks to unnamed industry sources cited in a report from Taiwanese publication DigiTimes. 

The report hones in on flash memory supplier Winbond, stating: “Winbond is also expected to be among the NOR flash suppliers for Apple’s next-generation AirPods Pro slated for launch later in the first half of this year… The Taiwan-based chipmaker will be running its NOR flash production lines at nearly full capacity utilisation during the six-month period.”

The news follows hot on the heels of a report from Japanese blog Mac Otakara that claimed the new AirPods Pro will be here by April. That particular bulletin offered little new information regarding the actual design of the headphones, but lets not forget, Bloomberg recently reported that the next AirPods Pro would be more compact than the current model, with no stems sticking out of the bottom of the earbuds. That might make the AirPods Pro 2 similar in shape to the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro, Galaxy Buds Live or Amazon Echo Buds. Crucially, the report also mentioned a 2021 release date. 

The original Apple AirPods Pro were introduced in November 2019, an in-ear design with slightly shorter stems than the second-generation AirPods, plus three sizes of soft, flexible silicone tips included. Of course, the AirPods Pro have several upgraded features over regular AirPods, the most notable of which is active noise cancellation. 

Just before Christmas, a patent spotted by Patently Apple seemed to state that the new AirPods could feature “through-body” response technology, allowing users to control the next-generation Apple noise-cancelling wireless earbuds by touching their face, clicking their tongue or making in-air hand gestures. 

Exciting stuff on the way, then. We’ll bring you updates as and when. 

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