It didn’t take long for the shipping dates for Apple’s new AirPods wireless earbuds to slip to 6 weeks on Apple online store, and the same online at Best Buy. The new headphones became available yesterday, and delivery was initially available as early as December 19.
Shipping estimates quickly began to slide, first to 2 weeks, then 4, and now to the current 6 weeks shipping estimate. What’s all this mean? It means if you were counting on having a set of Apple AirPods under the tree for little Bobby or Suzy, (or yourself), you are screwed. Right? Well, there might be hope, but it’s going to take some scrambling on your part.
However, those who missed out still have a chance, as Apple said AirPods will be available for purchase at Apple Stores, authorized resellers, and select carriers next week. Apple noted stores will receive “regular AirPods shipments,” and customers would be wise to call their local store ahead of time to confirm stock.
This means you need to start calling your nearby Apple stores, Best Buy, Target, T-Mobile, or any other retailer or wireless carrier store that you know carries Apple products, and ask if they have any AirPods in stock. It’ll probably help if you know someone who works at the store, or hey, just be nice to the frazzled retail workers this holiday shopping season. They might be so shocked they’ll let you know when a new batch of AirPods are due to roll in.
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 new headphones have been the subject of much discussion, as various reports have indicated release dates ranging from last month, to the first quarter of 2017.
The package also includes a Lightning cable for charging the carrying case. The AirPods require Apple devices running iOS 10, watchOS 3 or macOS Sierra.
