Apple Website Shows 6-Week Wait Time for AirPod Shipping

The shipping date for the Apple AirPod earphones for the iPhone 7 is six weeks out, said the Apple website Wednesday. The $159-per-pair wireless earphones were originally slated for October sales but ended up largely missing the holiday shopping season. The Apple website gives availability of six weeks for online orders and a search for the earphones for store pickup based on our New York ZIP code brought up a Feb. 17 date at all 12 New York area stores. An Apple chat agent said the AirPods have launched in stores “but since they are in such of a high demand stores are running out pretty quickly.” The agent encouraged us to log in at apple.com daily or call our local Apple Store “to see if you can get your hands on any.” She also encouraged us to order online to be “guaranteed a pair and if you so happen to find them at Apple Store you may be able to cancel out the order at anytime!” AirPods were trending Wednesday on eBay at $259. C4thelifestyle reported one pair left at a $350 selling price with shipping slated for Jan. 12. The AirPods received five out of five stars from four verified buyers on that eBay listing. A search for AirPods at Amazon, meanwhile, brought up two accessories designed to secure the earbuds: $9.99 AirRings for securing AirPods around the ear and a $7.90 sports strap designed to prevent users from losing their pods. In Q&A for the sports strap product, a questioner asked why a buyer would “put wires in a pair of wireless earbuds that cost $150 because they’re wireless?” A buyer responded that the strap “helped in certain situations” since the AirPods work independently and “I would sometimes take one out from time to time to talk to somebody or other reasons.” The user didn’t want to put the pod he wasn’t using in a pocket or “lay it somewhere so i was able to just keep it attached until i was ready to put it back in.” Apple didn’t respond to questions about the delay.