Low, or no stock of AirPods expected at retail, online orders already pushed to 2017

Apple's long-awaited AirPods are now available to purchase from the company's online store, with the first orderers being told that the purchases will arrive just days before Christmas. Those holding out for an in-person purchase may be out of luck, however.

AppleInsider has learned that very few Apple Retail stores will have any units in stock before Christmas and the new year. Out of 10 stores surveyed, only two "might" get stock to sell before the holiday, with the other eight not expecting any stock at all until well into January.

Additionally, only hours after release, the Apple webpage page for the AirPods notes that orders made now won't ship for four weeks, meaning orders won't arrive in time for Christmas or before the end of the calendar year.

Additionally, other retail establishments like Best Buy and Target aren't expecting any, with one Target store we spoke to telling us that they weren't expecting any stock at all of the sought-after peripheral until late February.

Last week, one report claimed Apple may be having trouble syncing audio between the wireless left and right earpieces of the W1-powered AirPods. But other reports from early review units suggested there were no such syncing issues.

The same W1 chip is also featured in the previously-launched Powerbeats3 and Beats Solo3 Wireless headphones, and will also be featured in the forthcoming BeatsX, though the latter won't ship until February.