At least seven manufacturers have already started mass production of the AirPods 3. A release this year seems inevitable.
AirPods 3 Mass Production Starts
That...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fnfjp3vqIxg
Fraunhofer researchers have developed a key technology for the production of microchips: the electron multi-beam mask writer.
Source: Fraunhofer