The shipments of Apple's wireless AirPods are likely to double to an estimate of 26-28 million units on a year-over-year basis next year.
According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, there has been a strong demand for AirPods, which he views as the most important accessory in Apple's wireless ecosystem. His prediction implies that AirPods shipments will total 13-14 million units in 2017.
AirPods had first hit the stores in December 2016, and soon, they became one of the wanted products by Apple.
According to Mac Rumors, Chinese-based Luxshare will become the main assembler of AirPods in 2018, with a higher order allocation than fellow supplier Inventec.
Apple groups the wireless earphones under its "Other Products" category, alongside Apple TV, Apple Watch, Beats, iPods, and other accessories. Apple has seen revenue of $3.2 billion from its "Other Products" category from its last quarter, which records up by 36 percent year-on-year.
"The combination of music streaming on Apple Music and AirPods is truly a magical experience for people on the go. We're thrilled with the momentum of these products. In fact, our entire wearables business was up 75 percent year over year in the fourth quarter, and in fiscal 2017, already generated the annual revenue of a Fortune 400 company," Apple CEO Tim Cook had said last month.
There are many rumours about the second generation AirPods, but there is no such clarity so far. Apple will be releasing an inductive charging case for the wireless earphones designed to work with its AirPower charging mat, which will be launching in early 2018.
