Apple today confirmed that its first "truly wireless" pair of earbuds - AirPods - will miss the originally promised October shipping date. In a statement given to TechCrunch, Apple said it needs a "little more time" to get the AirPods right.
"The early response to AirPods has been incredible," said Apple. "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."
AirPods are Apple's first take on wire-free headphones; while traditional Bluetooth earbuds have a cable that joins one bud to another, AirPods are two independent units. The buds last five hours on a single charge, and 15 minutes in the included charging case gives you another three hours of juice. Apple says AirPods will last for more than 24 hours, when factoring the number of recharges you get before the case runs flat.
While wire-free headphones are pretty nifty, the W1 chip found inside the AirPods is the real secret sauce. The W1 chip allows AirPods to instantly pair with your iPhone when they're nearby, and supports simultaneous connections to your Apple Watch, iPad, and Mac.
AirPods might look a little weird, but we were quite impressed with the fit, feel, and ease of use in an early hands-on. Even a bit of ferocious headbanging wouldn't dislodge the buds.
AirPods will retail for $229 when they go on sale, whenever that is.
If you can't wait and urgently need some W1 goodness to go with your iPhone 7, Apple's Beats Solo3 and Powerbeats3 both feature the same W1 chip. These are available to order now, priced at $399.95 and $259.95 respectively.
Alex Choros
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