Top analysts say AirPods 3, a second-generation version of the premium AirPods Pro, and over-the-ear Apple headphones will be available within the next 18 months.

In a note to investors reported by 9to5Mac, Ming-Chi Kuo detailed the impending expansion of Apple's AirPods brand. Between now and the end of 2021, Kuo expects the company to launch three different wireless audio products. First will be Apple's over-the-ear headphones, followed a few months later by the next-generation AirPods and AirPods Pro.

If Kuo is correct, Apple's first over-ear headphones will go into production in the summer. This timeframe would likely coincide with the iPhone 12 fall keynote, which contradicts an earlier leak from Jon Prosser, who tweeted earlier this month that "Apple over-ear headphones" might be on the WWDC 2020 schedule.

Apple's new over-ear headphones will reportedly feature interchangeable pads and will be offered in two different base models; according to Bloomberg, the more luxurious Apple headphones will be made from a "leather-like fabric" and the sportier pair will be made from a more "breathable material."

From the sound of it, these headphones seem to be aiming to dethrone the Bose 700 and take the title of best headphones.

AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro 2 are also in development, but probably won't be unveiled until next year. According to Kuo, the third-generation AirPods will go into production in "early 2021," and the AirPods Pro 2 could begin production as early as late 2021.

The AirPods Pro 2 announcement is just the latest device name to join the crowd of leaks and rumors about Apple's growing audio division; in addition to the Pro 2, AirPods 3, and Apple over-ear headphones, the AirPods Pro Lite and AirPods X are also known about the headphones, which are called.

It is highly likely that two or more of these titles are the same product. Kuo has long had a reputation as a source of information about Apple's impending announcement, but he doubts that an entirely new AirPods-style device will appear anytime soon.

The analyst even states that something like the AirPods Pro Lite (supposedly a sportier, wired version of the AirPods) will join the Beats lineup before the AirPods one. This contradicts Prosser's theory that Apple plans to phase out the Beats by Dre brand, although Apple has since denied the rumor.