We’ve been hearing a few unlikely-sounding whispers about Apple bundling AirPods with the new iPhone X.
The arguments against it are obvious. AirPods would represent a significant cost element, so the idea of including them as standard doesn’t seem likely. AirPods are already selling themselves. And it would annoy those who already bought them and now plan to buy the iPhone X …
Plus there’s the fact that AirPods have been in short supply, so would Apple really bundle a hard-to-buy iPhone with hard-to-buy earphones to create a package with availability indistinguishable from zero?
The optimistic interpretation would be that AirPods have such poor availability precisely because Apple was holding back stock for inclusion in iPhone bundles, but that seems super optimistic!
Given these are all anonymous tips, we’re not paying them much heed when we already have so much hard information to go on, but maybe you disagree? And here are a couple of arguments you could use to do so …
While iPhone X is where the smart money is going for the naming of the flagship phone, that Edition label keeps popping up. Could there be an iPhone X Edition bundle? Maybe the copper model with bundled AirPods and, perhaps, a wireless charger?
Given that the iPhone X is expected to be in extremely short supply, one admittedly far-fetched possibility is that Apple could use a bundle to maximise revenue: have initial availability limited to a package that includes the extras. If you want one immediately, you have to effectively buy an extra product or two. In that scenario, there would be no premium on the cost of the individual products, but no discount either.
Sound credible – or crazy? You decide. Please take our poll and share your thoughts in the comments.
Photo: Beck Diefenbach/Reuters
