Apple AirPods

Apple initially unveiled the AirPods, Apple’s truly-wireless earbuds, alongside the iPhone 7 in September with the intention to ship in late October. However, the company delayed the launch at the last minute citing it needing extra time to finish up the product.

A new availability date was not given as part of Apple’s official statement, however a report from Economic Daily News (via Digitimes) is suggesting it will be a while, with suppliers not expecting AirPods to begin shipping until next year, in January 2017.

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Apple delayed the release of its new truly wireless earbuds called AirPods that it originally planned on launching in late October. It’s disappointing for some who wanted to use them with their new iPhone 7 that launched back in September. But what does the competition look like?

With the AirPods originally expected to launch sometime this month, right around the time of Apple’s MacBook Pro event and Apple Watch Nike+ launch last week, a lot of accessory makers have been planning launches to time and compete with Apple’s new wireless earbuds. Just this week a few new products launched, including Michigan-based Sol Republic’s first cord-free product called ‘Amps Air’, and today Best Buy is launching new $249 Skybuds that claim to offer 24 hours battery with an included charging case and improved connectivity.

If you just can’t wait for the AirPods, or want to check out the competition and see how Apple’s earbuds compare, these are the alternatives… 

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Earlier today, Apple somewhat surprisingly announced that its truly wireless AirPods won’t be available this month like it had originally announced. This announcement was a bit out of character for Apple, as the company admitted that the product simply isn’t ready for primetime just yet. While on the surface it seems like bad news for Apple that the AirPods are delayed, it was likely a smart move by the company for the long run…

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A survey of U.S. consumers by Bank of America Merrill Lynch found that a staggering 12% of the population was planning to buy Apple’s new wireless AirPods when they go on sale next month. That would represent total revenue of $3B, reports Business Insider.

Purchase intention surveys tend to be optimistic, it being easier to say you’ll buy something than actually going out and handing over the $159, but even for intenders, that’s a huge number …

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Apple made a big, polarizing splash when it announced its new wireless AirPods during last week’s iPhone 7 keynote. The AirPods, which are completely devoid of any wires, were met with plenty of mixed reactions online. Whether or not you agree with the design of the AirPods is one thing, but the new W1 wireless chip, Apple’s first, is promising to bring a better overall wireless audio experience to the masses.

Unfortunately, the AirPods don’t ship until late October, so unless you’re among the few who received early review units, you’ll have to wait until the fall before you can experience the $159 wireless earphones for yourself. That said, you can still take Apple’s new wireless W1 chip for a spin, arguably the most important component of its AirPods, anyway.

The W1 wireless chip is not only embedded in Apple’s AirPods, you’ll find the same chip tucked away in several pairs of new Beats-branded headphones as well. The just-released Beats Solo3 On-Ear Wireless Headphones, for instance, have the distinction of being the first product to hit the market with a W1 chip nestled inside. As such, we felt that it was only right to provide you with a hands-on look at this compelling new wireless headphone option.

One of our favorite designers, Martin Hajek, has been busy again, this time showing what Apple’s new AirPods would look like in the Jet Black finish used for the iPhone 7.

He poses the obvious question: why did this not happen? Given the huge popularity of the Jet Black finish, despite concerns about scratches, it would have seemed an obvious move to offer the color as an option. Especially for a product far less likely to be subject to scratches, living in your ears when in use and the case when not …

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With mixed reviews of the iPhone 7, we took a look to see whether the same was true of Apple’s highest-tech headphones, the all-new wireless AirPods with their ultra-slick pairing system facilitated by the W1 chip.

Here, however, we found greater agreement. Everyone was impressed by the instant pairing and by the intelligence in the AirPods – like auto-pausing when you remove them from your ear. Most people seem to agree that the sound quality is distinctly average but acceptable to most. And there’s also widespread agreement that the look is definitely on the dorky side …

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Without a doubt the biggest consumer-facing news from Apple’s September event yesterday was the removal of the iPhone’s headphone jack. This “courageous” move is seen to help push forward wireless audio technology, all the while giving Apple a few more millimeters to work with in the device’s internals.

Not without controversy, this decision does mean leaving a lot of wired headphones in the dust. Not everyone will find the AirPods, expected in October, the default choice and we figured this would be a good time as any to roundup the 9to5Mac team’s opinions on their current favorite pair (or 2) of wireless headphones. Take a look through and be sure to share your current favorite wireless audio options in the comments.

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After months of rumors and leaks, Apple today officially took the wraps off of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. While Apple showed off a good portion of what’s new on stage during various demos, there are always a few things left over that potential customers would like a first-hand look at. Members of the press who were in the audience during Apple’s event at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium had an opportunity to go hands-on with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, as well as the truly wireless AirPods and the Apple Watch Series 2…

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Apple has never been afraid to declare that technology has moved on, and that something we all thought of as essential is now legacy equipment. It did this first with the 3.5-inch floppy drive, omitting it from the iMac G3 in 1998 because Steve Jobs held the view that the CD-ROM had rendered the medium obsolete.

Apple was also one of the first companies to abandon optical drives, with the MacBook Air being the first Mac to launch without one in 2008. The company of course later dropped optical drives from the Retina MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac.

Finally, in launching the 12-inch MacBook, Apple also declared that every prior port except the headphone socket was no longer necessary.

Each time Apple has done this, there have been anguished complaints and negative press. Apple has weathered the storm each time, and other manufacturers tended to quietly follow Apple’s lead a little later. But in seemingly planning to abandon the oldest and best-established standard of them all – the venerable 3.5mm headphone jack – I believe Apple is being a little more careful in how it has prepared the ground …

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A big question up in the air for iPhone 7 is what Apple will do with its bundled headphones. If this is the first year Apple is to remove the headphone jack from the device as rumored, that means one of a few things for the bundled EarPods that usually come with its iPhones…

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My cheap headphone jack-less iPhone mockup

While it’s widely rumored that the iPhone 7 will drop the headphone jack when it launches later this year, known Apple audio supplier Cirrus Logic may have hinted about how Apple plans to handle this transition. Speaking to analysts and investors during the company’s latest earnings call (via BI), CEO Jason Rhode made a few interesting comments about what might be planned for later this year.

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Even in the age of the Apple Watch which only plays music over Bluetooth, Apple has yet to produce any Apple-branded wireless headphones or earbuds, instead promoting Beats-branded earbud and headphone designs created before Apple’s $3 billion acquisition of that company last year. A new report from MacRumors suggests that could soon change, however, as it’s believed Apple may have applied for “AirPods” trademark under an alias company name.
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