Oliver Haslam on December 14, 2016, 9:14 am

AirPods Coming To Apple Stores Next Week, Online Delivery Crosses 4-Week Mark

We told your earlier how the fabled Apple AirPods were available to order from Apple’s online store but to hurry because we didn’t know how long the current shipping estimate would be in place. Well, if you didn’t heed that warning, then you could be in for quite a wait, with delivery dates already beyond the four-week mark across the globe.

Following on from missing its originally-targeted launch window of “late October,” Apple now looks set to have a stock shortage with which to deal before the holiday season.

apple-airpods

Initially, the AirPods were being sold with an expected delivery window of just a few days from today depending on which part of the world you happen to live in, but anyone ordering right now can expect to have to wait well beyond Christmas before they will be able to sample their wonders.

Given Apple’s apparent difficulty in getting these earphones ready for primetime, we do find ourselves having to wonder how many of these things there were available for sale.

Whilst ordering online is already looking like a long wait, those who live near an Apple Store will apparently be able to walk into a store and buy some AirPods starting some point next week. However, given the stock issues befalling the Apple website, we find it very difficult to believe that anyone walking into an Apple Store next week will find AirPods as far as the eye can see. If you need AirPods for a Christmas gift and are able to get to a Store, a brick and mortar store looks like your only real opportunity, unfortunately.

Maybe get that iPhone 6s with the faulty battery repaired for free whilst you’re in there, eh?

Despite the availability of several viable alternatives and repeated launch delays since their announcement in September, Apple’s $159 AirPods remain coveted given the lack of a headphone jack on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Let’s hope the Cupertino giant can address apparent stock shortage issues before year’s end.