Apple Has Delayed The AirPods, So You Can Keep Your Precious Wires A Little Longer

Apple has changed the release date of their wireless AirPods from late October to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The initial ‘late October’ date came and went without nary an AirPod to be seen, despite the rollout of the iPhone 7.

An Apple spokesperson told TechCrunch at the time, “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.”

Pitchfork today pointed out that the product listing on the Apple shop simply says AirPods are “currently unavailable”.

It’s also not on Apple’s holiday gift guide, indicating they likely won’t be out before Christmas.

Pitchfork got their hands on a November 11 research note from analysts at Barclays investment bank saying production on the AirPods is expected to begin December. However, “units are fairly small at 10-15m to start.”

Interesting. Start production small and get punters fighting over a product that, just two months ago, they were mocking mercilessly.

Oh, how the tide changes when your major competitor can't keep their alternative from exploding.

Update: According to the International Business Times, French retailer Fnac is now telling customers the AirPods will ship on November 30, meaning consumers could actually nab them before Christmas (well, French consumers, anyway). We'll keep you posted.

Photo: Apple.