AirPods Deliveries Arrive Across Europe as Retail Store Stock Dwindles

Early orders of AirPods arrived across Europe this morning as people were seen waiting outside Apple retail stores eager to get hold of a pair of the new wireless earphones before initial stock ran out.

Queues were reported outside Apple's Regent Street store in London and some other brick-and-mortar stores scattered around the U.K., but stock is reportedly limited and going fast. Regent Street was said to have only 150 units, while the Apple Store in Bath reportedly had only 10 in stock upon opening. Reddit user googang619 said that Newcastle's Eldon Square store initially had 25 pairs in at 9 a.m. but "they had sold twenty of them in the first 10 minutes".

Regent Street Apple queue

People queue for AirPods outside Regent Street Apple Store (Image: Derek Baker)

For those lucky enough to have got in on the first wave of online orders last week and received the earphones on Monday via courier, the first impressions of Apple's audio accessory have so far been overwhelmingly positive, with wearability and ease of pairing coming in for particular praise.

Bringing a new case of AirPods within two inches of an unlocked iPhone, iPod touch or iPad and flipping the lid brings up a dialog on the screen offering to pair the device. Once the option is tapped, the AirPods are identified as the owner's and subsequently pair automatically.

MacRumors reader The Game 161 said of the Bluetooth connection: "Incredible, left phone in house, walked up the drive and it was still there".

airpods
Twitter user Long Zheng called the Bluetooth connection range "spectacular" and said he was able to walk around his whole house listening to podcasts. He also said they were "much more comfortable than traditional EarPods, much lighter on the ear and no pulling from the cord". MacRumors reader Boardiesboi agreed, claiming they "almost feel like they're not there" because they're so light.

As for audio performance, MacRumors reader ssrij called the AirPods "louder than EarPods", with better sound quality and stronger bass than Apple's wired earphones. Bazooka-joe called the audio quality "much better than expected. Lots of bass. Very clear."

Apple has included a Lightning to USB-A charging cable with the AirPods, rather than one with a USB-C connection for connecting to newer MacBook Pros. We'll post a more in depth look at how the AirPods function and perform later in the day.

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

Top Rated Comments

The Game 161 Avatar
95 months ago
I'm honored :)

Also I left my phone in the kitchen and went to the furthest room upstairs and connection was perfect
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WarHeadz Avatar
95 months ago
People are waiting in lines outside of stores for wireless headphones? Yeah, Apple sure looks doomed to me! Fire Tim! :D
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Wormald Avatar
95 months ago
was first in the queue at regent street - got there at 6am.

met some lovely people and the time flew chatting about this and that.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Blackstick Avatar
95 months ago
Probably the best product they've released this year by a mile, in a year where they needed something awesome that wasn't $3000.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xinam Avatar
95 months ago
Happy AirPods day everyone. I'm really impressed with mine, they have quite impressive low-end. Easily my best Apple purchase for some time!
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
djcerla Avatar
95 months ago
AirPods will be a huge hit for Apple, much to the chagrin of the naysayers.
Score: 7 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%...
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...
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...