Apple revolutionized the smartphone industry back in 2016 when it launched iPhone 7, the first smartphone to ship without a 3.5mm auxiliary jack. Even though smartphone fans were not happy with this change at first, they soon got used to it and other tech companies followed in Apple’s footsteps. The brilliant thing about Apple’s decision to remove the auxiliary jack was that it also launched a new device called AirPods.
AirPods are wireless earbuds and they are sold independently of iPhones. Therefore, removing the auxiliary jack opened a new market and it helped Apple generate millions of dollars in revenue. Nonetheless, this doesn’t mean that Apple is the only company that gets to profit from this. The reason we are saying this is because Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is reporting that other tech giants want a “piece of the cake”.
Amazon and Google AirPods
Ming-Chi Kuo is one of the most renowned Apple analysts and nearly all his predictions prove to true. The analyst is saying that Amazon and Google have noticed just how successful AirPods are and that the two companies are currently designing their own wireless earbuds. Therefore, iPhone owners are going to have more options to pick from the next time they want to buy wireless earbuds.
Apple Analyst Speaks Out
“The new ear-device competition to break out soon: Google and Amazon to be Apple’s main competitors in the AirPod-alike market; Goertek and Unitech to be the sole suppliers for Google and Amazon’s AirPod-alike products,” said Ming-Chi Kuo.
We believe that AirPods’ success has drawn Google and Amazon’s attention and these two companies will launch AirPod-alike products in 2H19. The combined shipments of two brands will likely reach 10–20mn units in 2H19. Goertek (assembly) and Unitech (Rigid-flex PCB) are sole suppliers for Google and Amazon,” added Ming-Chi Kuo.
