OUCH! Apple’s new wireless AirPods earbuds, originally expected to ship at the end of October, won’t ship until January 2017, if a report from the company’s Chinese supply chain is correct.
A new availability date was not given as part of Apple’s official statement, however a report from Economic Daily News (via Digitimes) is suggesting it will be a while, with suppliers not expecting AirPods to begin shipping until next year, in January 2017.
If the report is accurate, that means Apple’s new wireless headphones will miss being available during the all-important holiday shopping season. A January launch would mean a three-month delay for the product from its originally expected delivery date.
Apple hasn’t commented on the report, and their only official statement on the matter came last week, on the heels of speculation that the AirPods’ shipping date would be pushed back:
“The early response to AirPods has been incredible. We don’t believe in shipping a product before it’s ready, and we need a little more time before AirPods are ready for our customers,”
Apple’s AirPods are a premium wireless headphone solution, which are Bluetooth connected, and powered by Apple’s own in-house W1 chip. The earbuds are completely wireless, with no cords connecting them to the device, or to each other.
Pre-production samples of the earbuds have been in the hands of reviewers since September, and have gotten generally good reviews.
The Chinese report doesn’t go into any details as to what has caused the lengthy delay in the product’s launch date, nor has Apple offered up any detailed info about the delays. As usual, reports such as this are to be treated with a dash of (fill in your favorite seasoning here) until we hear something official. Currently, Apple’s website merely lists the AirPods as “Coming Soon.“
