Apple AirPods Could Release Soon, Beats X Earphones Delayed Till Next Year

Even though Apple AirPods were revealed alongside the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, they are still not available to the consumer. The earphones have been repeatedly delayed – Apple itself had asked for a “little more time” in an official statement in November.

The $159 AirPods can automatically pair with iPhones – the company uses the Apple W1 chip in the earphones, which automatically pairs them with the device.

The absence of Apple AirPods presents a problematic situation for users as the new iPhones have no headphone jack. If they need a playback device while they wait for the AirPods, they would still need to invest $9 in a Lightning to 3.5mm converter, which would turn out to be useless once they get their hands on the earphones. Another solution is using third-party Bluetooth headphones, which don't come for cheap either – Philips' range of headphones starts at $99.99.

The wireless earphones, which were expected to hit the shelves in October could release before the end of the year, according to a new report. Apple might be working on battery usage issues and on how to find the tiny devices if they are disconnected with the device as they might have a tendency to get lost easily due to their size, according to the Wall Street Journal.

But, AirPods are not the only iPhone 7 wireless earphones that have been delayed. Authorized Apple reseller B&H Photo Video emailed customers on Dec. 10 saying that the BeatsX headphone shipments won't go out at least for two or three months, even though Apple's website is still showing the estimated time of arrival of the $149 headphones as “Fall 2016.”

The Beats X headphones also come with Apple W1 chip and can pair with iPhones easily and use a “Fast Fuel” feature for quick charging. If you don't want to wait anymore for the Apple AirPods or the Beats X, you can consider other headphones with Apple W1 chip such as the Powerbeats3 and Beats Solo3 without the feature which are already on sale.