Apple's suppliers do not expect the AirPods Max to sell as hot as AirPods earbuds, because they believe the over-ear headphone segment is too niche.

According to a new report released today, Apple's suppliers do not expect the AirPods Max to sell as hot as AirPods earbuds, because they believe the over-ear headphone segment is too niche. According to DigiTimes, Huatong Computer and Jinglian Electronics, headquartered in Taiwan, have been shipping rigid and flexible boards for AirPods, and are said to be providing printed circuit boards for AirPods Max.

However, industry insiders said that PCB suppliers did not foresee a significant increase in AirPods Max to their sales, "The reason is that compared with earbuds, the positioning of over-ear headphones is a niche area with a higher price but smaller market size." Sources quoted Canalys statistics showing that global True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds in the third quarter of 2019 were about 45 million pairs, while over-ear headphones were 20 million pairs.

report pointed out that in terms of market share of over-ear headphones, JBL, Sony and BOSE "stable in leading groups". It is worth adding that the headphones offered by these three companies are significantly lower than the AirPods Max that Apple targets, which is as high as $549 and has entered the price range of the Hi-Fi headphones field.

In fact, this price has attracted attention and has led some commentators to question Apple's market strategy for the headset. Still, the AirPods Max was sold out quickly when it debuted on Tuesday, and now all colors are being ordered to be postponed until March.