Shipping times for AirPods wireless headphones purchased from Apple’s online store have dropped to less than a month for the first time since the beginning of the year, when this popular product made its debut. Many third-party resellers, however, have sufficient stock to meet current demand.
The company recently updated its international AirPods product page to confirm the shorter delivery times, with more than a few countries now boasting estimated shipping times of between two and three weeks.
The improvement in the inventory situation comes at a time when Apple is trying to achieve a supply and demand equilibrium for the wireless headphones.
During the tech firm’s three-monthly conference call for this year’s third fiscal quarter, CEO Tim Cook said they have increased their production capacity for AirPods in an attempt to match the current demand. This seems to have worked, although Apple has not yet been able to produce sufficient stock to bring delivery times down to the normal next-day availability.
At its iPhone event in 2016, Apple announced that AirPods would go on sale in October last year, but a number of delays forced the postponement of the launch until December. Public interest was immense, with one report stating that AirPods managed to capture no less than 26% of the total wireless headphone market after the initial release.
Although the company is finding it difficult to stock its own outlets, resellers have sufficient supply on hand. For eager buyers who are not willing to wait weeks for their headphones, Verizon, B&H Photo and Abt.com all have available stock.
AirPods will reportedly gain improved functionality later this fall when iOS11 is released. Examples quoted include an audio track control, play and pause functions, as well as separate right and left AirPod tap gestures providing customised Siri access.