Tim Cook Says He Expects AirPods to Ship Over 'Next Few Weeks' in Email to Customer

airpods-duoMany customers are anxiously anticipating the release of Apple's wireless AirPods, originally slated to launch in October but later delayed. Fortunately, the wait may soon be over.

MacRumors has been forwarded an email in which Apple CEO Tim Cook, responding to a customer, allegedly said he anticipates AirPods to begin shipping "over the next few weeks."

Customer's comment: "Give us a release date. I really bought in to the wireless vision you painted. Now I'm stuck waiting with my EarPods but can't charge my 7 at the same time which I need to do at work. Let us know if it's a month or 6 months, because then I'll just buy some other wireless headphones."

Tim Cook's response: "Thanks for your note. Sorry for the delay---we are finalizing them and I anticipate we will begin to ship over the next few weeks."

MacRumors has verified the email's full headers appear to originate from Apple's corporate servers, while Apple executives are known to respond to customers on occasion, but as a boilerplate disclaimer, it should be noted these emails can of course be faked. Apple did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Apple has so far only said it needed "a little more time" before AirPods are ready for customers, while conflicting rumors have pointed towards release dates between December and January, offering little clarity. AirPods remain listed as both "coming soon" and "currently unavailable" on different sections of Apple's website.

Related Roundup: AirPods 3
Buyer's Guide: AirPods (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: AirPods

Top Rated Comments

yaxomoxay Avatar
95 months ago
Surprised Tim responded.

The person who wrote to him was so rude-very unprofessional.
If you write to Apple's CEO (or MS or any big corp or government agency) you don't exchange pleasantries. A CEO skims through the emails that are passed to him by his staff... You have to be as direct as possible; the CEO's time is very valuable both in term of money and needs. Not filling the email with crap is actually a form of respect.
That email was not rude, it was direct.
Score: 49 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Corrode Avatar
95 months ago
The demanding tone of the customer's e-mail was incredibly rude. However valid his frustration, there's no excuse for that.
Seriously? If this is what you deem "incredibly rude", you must not spend much time on the internet.
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bluespark Avatar
95 months ago
The demanding tone of the customer's e-mail was incredibly rude. However valid his frustration, there's no excuse for that.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Robert.Walter Avatar
95 months ago
How about shipping an actual Pro Mac? (e.g. any/all of: 32 GB RAM option MBP, 17" MBP, Mac Pro, new mini etc?)
And I thought this was a thread about AirPods...
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
yaxomoxay Avatar
95 months ago
Why is it ok because everyone else is more rude "on the internet?" If someone talked to me like that in person, I'd laugh in their face and walk away.

"Give us the release date". The entire tone of the message was rude and childish.

I want these earphones as much as anyone, but emailing the CEO and demanding a release date lets us know that guy is very self entitled. There is a much more professional way to address these concerns directly to the CEO (if you think that's a good way to do it), and he chose not to.
Have you ever wrote or received a note from someone who's paygrade is way above yours? That email was not rude, it was direct. Let me break it down for you:

Give us a release date. --> The question/request.

I really bought in to the wireless vision you painted. Now I'm stuck waiting with my EarPods but can't charge my 7 at the same time which I need to do at work. --> The reason for the request, both in terms of needs and frustration/satisfaction.

Let us know if it's a month or 6 months, because then I'll just buy some other wireless headphones. --> Reiteration of the question/request, with possible workaround for the person posing the question.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thadoggfather Avatar
95 months ago
Surprised he didn't just say "I've been using them since before iPhone 7 launch, to my recollection not once have they fallen out of my ears, they're the BEST earbuds we've EVER created -- thanks for asking" and leave it at that,

Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Camera Lozenge 2 Perspective Gray

Five Key Upgrades Coming to iPhone 16

Friday March 15, 2024 1:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone is Apple's top-selling product, and it gets an update every year. In 2024, we're expecting the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineup, with an arguably more interesting feature set than we got with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Capture Button All four iPhone 16 models are set to get a whole new button, which will be...
When To Expect New iPads Feature 1

Apple to Announce New iPads on March 26, Rumors Claim

Monday March 18, 2024 4:02 am PDT by
Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Air and OLED iPad Pro models in the next few weeks. According to new rumors coming out of Asia, the company will announce its new iPads on Tuesday, March 26. Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo this morning 日发布%23">claimed that the date will see some sort of announcement from Apple related to new iPads, but stopped short of calling it an...
airpods 3 orange

Two New AirPods 4 Models Expected to Launch in September or October

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:56 am PDT by
Apple suppliers will begin production of two new fourth-generation AirPods models in May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this production timeframe, he expects the headphones to be released in September or October. Gurman expects both fourth-generation AirPods models to feature a new design with better fit, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Expected to Depreciate Heavily

Tuesday March 12, 2024 9:04 am PDT by
Resale value trends suggest the iPhone SE 4 may not hold its value as well as Apple's flagship models, according to SellCell. According to the report, Apple's iPhone SE models have historically depreciated much more rapidly than the company's more premium offerings. The third-generation iPhone SE, which launched in March 2022, experienced a significant drop in resale value, losing 42.6%...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

iOS 17.4.1 Update for iPhone is Imminent

Monday March 18, 2024 5:27 am PDT by
iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 should be released within the next few days, with a build number of 21E235, according to a source with a proven track record. MacRumors previously reported that Apple was internally testing iOS 17.4.1. As a minor update for the iPhone, it will likely address software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. It is unclear if the update will include any other changes. ...
M3 iPad Feature 3

New iPads Likely to Begin Shipping in April

Monday March 18, 2024 9:52 am PDT by
Apple's new iPad Pro models with OLED displays will likely begin shipping to customers in April, according to information shared today by Ross Young, CEO of display industry research firm Display Supply Chain Consultants. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also said the new iPad Pro models might not ship until "deeper" into April in his Power On newsletter on Sunday:I've repeatedly said that new...
iOS 17 Passkey With Apple ACCOUNT Feature

'Apple ID' Expected to Change to 'Apple Account' Starting With iOS 18

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:13 am PDT by
MacRumors was first to report that Apple was planning to rebrand "Apple ID" to "Apple Account" across its software platforms and websites like iCloud.com as early as this year, and now Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has corroborated this change. A mockup of the new Apple Account branding In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new "Apple Account" branding will start to be used later this...