Apple’s Inc.’s new $550 AirPods Max headphones will not arrive in time for the vacation season for quite a few buyers putting new orders with the enterprise on the internet.
The Cupertino, California-primarily based technologies giant quoted wait occasions of 12 to 14 weeks for all 5 colour choices, primarily based on a assessment of Apple’s U.S. web page on Tuesday afternoon. This represents some of the longest shipping delays for a new Apple item in current history.
For buyers in numerous other nations, like China, Canada, Japan and Germany, Apple is quoting shipping occasions for quite a few colors into January and February. Australia and France nonetheless have some models scheduled to provide by the finish of this year. For buyers in the U.K., Apple is quoting up to a 14 week delay for the blue version and 3 weeks for other colors.
Opting for a free of charge engraving seems to minimize the delivery wait substantially in the U.S., taking it down to 2-3 weeks for some colors, according to Apple’s web page. In Japan, earliest deliveries go from Feb. 6 to Dec. 26 with the customization selection chosen.
By placing the accessory on sale in December, Apple was aiming to lure vacation shoppers, but the shipping delays may perhaps upset that tactic. Apple had planned to launch the headphones earlier this fall, but faced complications as some testers deemed the headband also tight, Bloomberg News reported earlier this year.
When the headphones went on sale Tuesday morning, initial orders for all colors had been offered for delivery as early as December 15. But the shipping delays promptly ramped up in the afternoon.
That spurred resellers on eBay to demand huge premiums, with numerous listings asking $849 or extra for delivery ahead of Christmas. One seller priced a silver AirPods Max pair at $1,199, saying it was “Guaranteed B4 Christmas.”
Many Apple retail shops stay open and it is unclear if availability in physical areas or third-celebration retailers will be improved when the 1st deliveries start subsequent week.