AirPods from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) are now expected to be shipped in the next few weeks. This was revealed in an email exchange between an Apple customer and Apple’s Chief Executive, Tim Cook. The customer was upset that there was no substantive information regarding the wireless earbuds on the company’s website other than the product was coming soon and therefore wanted a more definite answer.
Still non-committal
It all began when the customer wrote that he had been eagerly waiting for the AirPods but was now running out of patience because they were yet to ship. The customer also expressed frustration that he couldn’t charge his iPhone 7 while using his EarPods concurrently, something he regularly needed to do while at the workplace. In his emailed response, Cook apologized for the delay but still didn’t give a definite answer.
“Thanks for your note. Sorry for the delay—we are finalizing them and I anticipate we will begin to ship over the next few weeks,” Apple’s Chief Executive emailed in response.
The AirPods, which Apple priced at $169, are basically wireless earphones that use Bluetooth technology to pair and connect to Apple devices. The AirPods can also detect when they have been inserted in the ear and, consequently, start and stop playing music.
Original date of release
At the event where the AirPods were first announced, the release of the AirPods was originally slated for October. Later, the date was changed. Then, the company asked for more time arguing that it was against shipping products before they were ready. The tech giant indicated at the time that it was working out some bugs. After missing the October date, rumors also surfaced speculating that the wireless earphones would be ready in time for the holiday shopping. But they have now missed the Black Friday and Cyber Monday holidays.
The matter is complicated by the fact that the iPhone 7 was released without a headphone jack. iPhone 7 users who were pulled in by the key selling point of a wireless audio feature will, however, now have to wait a little longer before that is realized.
