San Francisco, Apr 26 (IANS): Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has claimed that the iPhone maker is planning to start mass production of third generation AirPods at the end of this year which will arrive in Q1 2021.

Kuo also revealed the second generation AirPods Pro are not coming any time soon -- the company will start mass production at the end of calendar 2021, so they should be out in Q1 2022, AppleInsider reported recently.

The estimates reveal that Apple might ship up to 90 million sets of AirPods by the end of 2020. As a result, Kuo expects that the AirPods will account for 50 to 55 million units in this amount while 35 to 40 million units of the Pro will be shipped to customers.

The Cupertino-based iPhone maker was yet to officially comment on the launch.

The new AirPods is expected to come with features like the AirPods Pro but it will be priced lower.

Speculation suggests that the new AirPods will feature the AirPods Pro's new design with shorter stems, but without the noise-cancelling feature.

Earlier, Apple was reported to announce the headphones at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June (which has been cancelled in-person), with reports claiming that the accessory may carry a $350 price tag.