Several Rumors Suggest AirPods Will Ship ‘Within the Next Few Days’

Apple AirPods might be released before Christmas — albeit in limited quantities — according to several new reports.

On his podcast The Talk Show, veteran Apple blogger John Gruber said that he’s heard that there were “whispers” among Apple retail employees that AirPods might get released within “the next few days.”

“I have heard just in the last 24 hours — not from like a very well-placed birdie, but from a birdie — that there’s a possibility, that there are whispers in Apple, among people who work at Apple retail, that they might actually come ‘in the next few days,’” Gruber said.

Of course, even Gruber admits that his source isn’t “well-placed,” but his report seems to line up with several other credible rumors that have surfaced. Several sources within Apple retail reportedly told AppleInsider in November that there was “no way” Cupertino was pushing the release to January. The news site also received word from Apple retail employees that they have demo versions of the AirPods, and are “ready to go anytime.”

Additionally, in late November, MacRumors published an email allegedly sent by Apple CEO Tim Cook in response to a customer inquiry about the AirPods release date. If credible, that email seems to suggest that we might be nearing the official release date — although it’s worth noting that the Apple blogosphere has been plagued by false rumors in the wake of the October delay.

“Thanks for your note,” Cook wrote in the email. “Sorry for the delay — we are finalizing them and I anticipate we will begin to ship over the next few weeks.”

If AirPods do start shipping in the next few days, they will have barely made it in time for the critical holiday shopping season. Of course, according to AppleInsider, it’s likely that they’ll almost immediately go into back-order due to the high demand and limited quantities — so even if they do launch, you still might not be able to grab a pair before the holiday season is over.

AirPods were originally supposed to drop in October, but the company delayed the release because they needed “a little more time” to get the product right. According to the Wall Street Journal, Cupertino might be fixing audio synchronization issues, as well as dealing with the possibility of customers losing one of the earbuds, or if one of the batteries die before the other. As of the writing of this article, AirPods are still listed as “coming soon” and “currently unavailable” on Apple’s website.

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