AppleInsider Staff
Though Apple's AirPods will get into the hands of some consumers just days before Christmas, those waiting for the BeatsX earphones will have to wait until 2017, as the company's website has been updated with a February shipping window.
The delay aligns with details shared by authorized Apple reseller B&H on Monday, who said the manufacturer did not know exactly when the BeatsX earphones will begin shipping. The reseller said the delay would be at least 2 to 3 months.
Announced back in September alongside the rest of Apple's W1-equipped headphones, the BeatsX were originally scheduled to debut this fall. No explanation has been given for the delays, but the proprietary W1 chip is not likely the culprit, as Apple is already shipping the Powerbeats3 and Beats Solo3 Wireless headphones featuring the same custom silicon.
While the BeatsX apparently won't ship until February at the earliest, Apple's AirPods are now available to order with an advertised arrival date of Dec. 21.
The W1 chip found in all of Apple's latest wireless headphones allows for fast Bluetooth pairing with Apple hardware, and a more robust connection between an audio player and the audio device.
Charles Martin
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9 Comments
Must be because they can't get each ear to sync wirelessly¡
It could be the availability of the chips
Really wanted these but ended up getting airpods. Gonna give airpods a try for a few weeks and return them back to apple, I have a feeling I'm not gonna like them, cause earpods are rather uncomfortable for me after an hour or so, and you can't hear anything in the subway generally due to lack of noise isolation. Hopefully apple can surprise me with them, so I don't have to return them.
AirPods now at 4-week delivery as of this posting, putting them in mid-January. So kinda pointless to cancel my BeatsX order with B&H with only a 2 to 4-week additional wait from that point. I've been waiting since October, so what's another 2 to 4 weeks. lol
Its pretty annoying that they waited until AirPods went up for sale to update this. Apple knows full well that a large percentage of users want the features of the W1 chip but are not necessarily into the cordless or earpod-style bud.
But with BeatsX unavailable, surely AirPods will sell in record numbers to all those who wanted them, and those who had AirPods as a second choice/runner up.