Apple to Delay AirPods Launch, Company Needs ‘a Little More Time’

Apple is delaying the rollout of its ‘AirPods’ wireless earphones, which had originally been slated to come out by the end of this month. In a statement to Techcrunch, Apple said it needs “a little more time” to get the AirPods ready for launch.

Apple didn’t shed any further light on whether the holdup is due to hardware or software issues and declined to provide a more detailed timeline for the release. Instead, the Apple spokesperson simply explained that “We don’t believe in shipping a product before it’s ready.” At the time of this writing, Apple’s AirPod webpage still says they’ll be available in late October.

Apple unveiled the AirPods along with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus during its launch event last month, sending pre-production models of the wireless earbuds to reviewers, who responded warmly to them. They come packaged in a white case that charges via Lightning port.

Notably, the AirPods support Siri and can connect to other Apple devices via the W1 chip. Users simply have to double tap on either earbud to activate Siri before issuing voice commands to call your friend, give you directions to the zoo, or play your workout playlist.

Apple says that the wireless earphones can support 5 hours of listening time on a single charge and that just 15 minutes of charging enables 3 hours of playback. The AirPods will retail for $159. Learn more about AirPods here.