An Apple supplier is reportedly working to increase its production capacity to produce both the new earbuds and the new MacBook in the third quarter of 2021.

This is according to Taiwan's Economic Daily News, which reported information suggesting that supplier New Nikko is working with Apple. New Nikko is reportedly providing bearings for the charging case of the next generation AirPods and the hinge of the MacBook Pro 2021.

Although Economic Daily News cannot confirm the source, who appears to be familiar with New Nikko's operations, the Q3 release date for the AirPods 3 and next-generation MacBook Pro has been reported by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Apple's This is consistent with past information and predictions by figures such as Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Apple's analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Speaking of Kuo, in his latest report note seen by MacRumors, the analyst predicts that the AirPods Pro 2 will arrive next year. If true, it indicates that Apple may focus on updating the standard AirPods before moving on to more expensive models.

In short, fall is likely to be a busy time for Apple. Currently, we expect the iPhone 13 to arrive around September, the next-generation MacBook Pro (MacBook Pro 14-inch and MacBook Pro 16-inch 2021 models), and the AirPods 3 to be announced. If all of these rumors prove to be true, Apple will first announce the new iPhone and possibly the AirPods 3 at the same event. [especially since major upgrades are expected, such as the addition of the Apple M2 chip (or M1X chip), a new design, and more ports. We expect this to happen in October or November, as Apple has never released a product later than that in the past.

The Economic Daily News report does not mention specs for either the AirPods 3 or the next-generation MacBook. However, leaked information so far suggests that the AirPods 3 will be similar in design to the current AirPods Pro, with enhanced audio capabilities and possibly active noise cancellation. Some health-related features have also been hinted at, but we are less convinced, as the more premium features will likely be included in the next-generation AirPods Pro.

In any case, the second half of 2021 looks to be a good year for Apple fans. But if you're in the market for new headphones right now, check out our roundup of the best wireless earbuds.