Hands-On With Apple's New AirPods

Following a wait that was close to two months, Apple's AirPods have finally made their way into the hands of customers. The first AirPods orders started arriving to customers who pre-ordered last week, and Apple retail stores also began brick and mortar sales.

After waiting in line at 6:00 a.m. in the freezing cold in Palo Alto, MacRumors videographer Matt Gonzalez managed to snag a set of AirPods and has spent the day testing them out for a hands-on video. To get a closer look at the AirPods and see what Matt thought, watch below.


Customer reactions to AirPods have been largely positive, and users have been impressed with the fit, the sound quality, the syncing process, and the battery life.

Sound quality and long-range Bluetooth seem to be one of the biggest surprises, and many customers have said the sound is better than the standard EarPods, even likening the sound to more expensive headphones. With the W1 chip, the AirPods connect to the iPhone and other devices within seconds, and charging speeds are impressive -- Apple's promised 3 hours of playback for 15 minutes of charging, which has turned out to be accurate.

Most Apple Stores sold out of AirPods stock within an hour or two as people lined up ahead of when stores opened, but some stores are already receiving new shipments and Apple has promised regular stock. In-store pickup to check stock is not yet available, but should be coming in the near future.

Best Buy also had a limited amount of stock today for online orders, but supplies were exhausted quickly. There's no word yet on whether Best Buy will be getting more stock, but the site is now listing the seventh of February as a delivery date.

AirPods ordered today from the online Apple Store will not ship out for six weeks, so customers hoping to get AirPods before January will need to keep an eye on stock at their local retail store.

Related Roundup: AirPods 4
Buyer's Guide: AirPods (Neutral)
Related Forum: AirPods

Popular Stories

apple intelligence black

Report: Apple's AI Strategy Could Finally Pay Off in 2026

Tuesday December 30, 2025 9:01 am PST by
Apple's restrained artificial intelligence strategy may pay off in 2026 amid the arrival of a revamped Siri and concerns around the AI market "bubble" bursting, The Information argues. The speculative report notes that Apple has taken a restrained approach with AI innovations compared with peers such as OpenAI, Google, and Meta, which are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in data...
apple fitness 2026 1

Apple Teases 'Something Big' Coming Soon to Apple Fitness+

Tuesday December 30, 2025 2:11 pm PST by
The Apple Fitness+ Instagram account today teased that the service has "big plans" for 2026. In a video, several Apple Fitness+ trainers are shown holding up newspapers with headlines related to Apple Fitness+. What's Apple Fitness+ Planning for the New Year? Something Big is Coming to Apple Fitness+ The Countdown Begins. Apple Fitness+ 2026 is Almost Here 2026 Plans Still Under ...
maxresdefault

Hands-On With a Rough iPhone Fold Mockup

Monday December 29, 2025 10:55 am PST by
Apple is rumored to be introducing a foldable iPhone in September 2026, and since it will bring the biggest form factor change since the iPhone was introduced in 2007, curiosity about the design is high. A 3D designer created an iPhone Fold design based on rumors, and we printed it out to see how it compares to Apple's current iPhones. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
maxresdefault

Where's the New Apple TV?

Monday December 22, 2025 11:30 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Apple TV 4K since 2022, and 2025 was supposed to be the year that we got a refresh. There were rumors suggesting Apple would release the new Apple TV before the end of 2025, but it looks like that's not going to happen now. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said several times across 2024 and 2025 that Apple would...
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max Users Report Static Speaker Noise While Charging

Tuesday December 30, 2025 10:39 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max owners are having trouble with the speakers of their devices, and have complained about a static or hissing noise that occurs when the iPhone is charging. There are multiple discussions about the issue on Reddit, the MacRumors forums, and Apple's Support Community, where affected users say there is a noticeable static noise "like an old radio." Some people report...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Next Year With These 12 New Features

Tuesday December 23, 2025 8:36 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another nine months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models. The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID Front camera in...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Monday December 22, 2025 8:47 am PST by
Earlier this month, Apple released iOS 26.2, following more than a month of beta testing. It is a big update, with many new features and changes for iPhones. iOS 26.2 adds a Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. Below, we have highlighted a total of eight new features. Liquid Glass Slider on Lock Screen A new slider in the Lock...
samsung glitter blue

Samsung's Year End Sale Introduces Major Discounts on Popular Monitors and TVs

Monday December 29, 2025 6:29 am PST by
Samsung kicked off a new end-of-the-year sale this week, introducing great deals on monitors, TVs, Galaxy smartphones, and home appliances. Many of these deals are the exact same all-time low prices we tracked during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Samsung. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep ...
iOS 26 Glass Feature

The 5 Most Important Apple Software Features Introduced This Year

Tuesday December 30, 2025 1:00 am PST by
2025 was a significant year of advancement for Apple's software, with a noticeable focus on visual design, productivity, and communication. While Apple introduced and continued to iterate on a wide range of features throughout the year, several additions stood out for their scope and practical impact across multiple devices. As the year comes to an end, these five new features provide a...

Top Rated Comments

andy.ringwood Avatar
118 months ago
One word :- fugly old design
That's three words.
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BigJayhawk Avatar
118 months ago
Honestly, as someone who has had DOZENS and DOZENS of Apple products, this is THE MOST REVOLUTIONARY CHANGE in a long time.

This is like FOUR products in one. As someone who uses the phone A TON as a consultant, I had to revert to wired in the car because the Bluetooth headsets would go dead. AirPods are like TWO Bluetooth headsets for the price of one. That's two things. Now add the battery pack / storage container for 24 hours of charge. That's a THIRD item. Finally, when listening to a call or music with one AirPod and you hit a song you really like, just put in the other AirPod and voila, your FOURTH item - an instant set of wireless headphones that sound better than Apple'S regular ones and my old beats Bluetooth headphones.

All of this is WITHOUT CORDS to look silly when one is out of your ears and when you are meeting with professionals while consulting.

Seriously, the MOST transformational Apple product I've had in YEARS and I have them ALL. Do not under-estimate this. It is seriously like comparing my Palm Phone to my first iPhone in 2007. AND FOR ONLY $159. Nothing currently compares at ANY price in my opinion.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CXsjr Avatar
118 months ago
"Airpods sound just as good if not better than earpods" - MKBHD ('//www.youtube.com/watch?v=KftNp6hdO5g')

$159 vs $30 for slightly better? LOL...Apple, this is pathetic.
Nearly as pathetic as some of the trolls hanging around these forums of late ....
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
keysofanxiety Avatar
118 months ago
I sometimes wonder if Jony understands real world usability or simply cares about visual aesthetics.
I sometimes wonder if half the people spouting criticism have actually used the new product rather than just criticising it.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
44267547 Avatar
118 months ago
Are you again harassing me
Not at all. A question doesn't constitute harassment or your definition of harassment is used out of context. Again, why did you edit your response from Post #1? Have you tried the Airpods or tested them? This is a forum for discussion and I asked You a question.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sinsin07 Avatar
118 months ago
Why did you delete your original post listed below for Post #1? (Which you were quoted on).

@Sunnysunnysingh quoted: "One word :- fugly old design"
Easy answer: Got caught out there, so he tried to flip the script.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)