Apple is rumored to be preparing a set of over-ear headphones for release in the first half of 2020, following the fierce success of the AirPod.

This information was revealed in a report by trusted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who reports that a tsunami of new products will come from Cupertino in the first half of 2020.

Even though Apple has Beats making over-the-ear cans, it makes a lot of sense for the company to release its own products.

First, to take advantage of the Apple brand's pulling power. Certainly, the company's Beats are a popular brand in their own right, but they are worth nothing in front of Apple, the most valuable and recognizable brand in the entire world. Beats headphones, including its competitor AirPods Pro, are tantamount to a market tick compared to Cupertino headphones, which have taken the world by storm and have become the gold standard and synonym for wireless earphones.

And then there is the fact that the over-ear headphone market is very lucrative. Apple can make a lot of money on new products in this area, especially by leveraging Beats' experience and R&D.

And finally, Apple's wearables are the main driver of revenue and profits for Cook's company. According to the latest financial results, its revenues are off the charts. It is logical to expect Apple to continue to expand this category.

The German magazine Curved did a great job in imagining this beast a few years ago. Their concept designers appropriated Apple's design language and drew inspiration from the HomePod design (see above); the HomePod's design is only as good as its sound and Siri failings.

The German magazine also speculates that Apple might include a display on the side. At the very least, one can imagine cool kids wanting a cool display on the side. Especially if Apple allows users to customize the display with graphics, animations, animoji, and more.

Totally superfluous, but it could be one of those little details that make the difference between "nice" and "oh, wow" for many people.

The design also imagines a charging method for these headphones; following the example of the AirPods, a wireless charging method like the one pictured above might be adopted, since unlike the AirPods' case, the charging pod cannot be carried around.

Of course, this is just speculation, and Apple may go in a completely different direction, but as a concept design, the purported 2020 Apple Headphones could look a lot like this.