When Will AirPods Launch? It’s Totally up in the Air According New Conflicting Rumors

The internet has been abuzz with rumors of potential Apple AirPods release dates — and most of them disagree with each other, or have turned out to be false.

Today, November 17, Apple news site Mac4Ever discovered that a French retail website by the name of Fnac had posted AirPods as available for pre-order. The listed suggested shipping date on the website is Nov. 30. Yeah, that’s well past Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but if it’s true, then shoppers might still be able to nab a pair of AirPods before the holiday season, MacRumors reported.

Of course, previous rumors that a late-2016 AirPods release have turned out to be less than true. Just last week, a blog published a report stating that German retailer Conrad would launch AirPods today, Nov. 17. Looking at Conrad’s listing for Apple AirPods, that looks like it’s not entirely true — as the expected delivery date still says 9 weeks.

Also last week, a Czech blog discovered that local retailer Alza had listed their AirPods launch date as December 2016. Looking back, it seems that they’ve removed any indication of a firm date, and are simply stating that they currently “accept pre-orders” for Apple’s new wireless headphones.

More solid evidence of a potential launch comes from a research note put out by investment bank Barclays. That note states that AirPods will begin production in “limited quantities” in December 2016. While that doesn’t rule out a pre-holiday release, it still lines up with the previously rumored 2017 launch.

Apple’s innovative Bluetooth headphones were originally penned to launch in late October. But Cupertino delayed that release, stating that it needed a “little more time” refining the device to get it right. On Apple’s website, AirPods are currently listed as unavailable, and “coming soon.”

So what does all of this mean? Well, for starters, it’s possible that no one really knows when Apple AirPods will launch. A January 2017 launch date is likely, but other websites have predicted that they’ll be available as late as March of next year.

Featured Image: Business Insider

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]