Apple CEO Tim Cook Calls AirPods 'A Runaway Success,' Says 'It's Been a Great Holiday' - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple CEO Tim Cook Calls AirPods 'A Runaway Success,' Says 'It's Been a Great Holiday'

airpods-4Apple CEO Tim Cook toured the New York Stock Exchange with his nephew this morning, where he took a few moments to do a quick interview with CNBC.

Cook said he couldn't comment on business when asked, but he told the interviewer that Apple has had a "great" holiday season. "It's been a great holiday," he said.

When questioned about Apple's recently released AirPods and the lack of available stock, Cook called the AirPods a "runaway success." "We're making them just as fast as we can," he said.

Introduced in mid-December, the first AirPods began shipping out to customers during the week of December 19th, the first day retail stores began carrying the accessory.


AirPods have proven to be popular with Apple users, and supplies have been constrained since launch. Retail stores and third-party retailers are receiving regular shipments, but many customers have not yet been able to purchase AirPods. Online orders placed today won't ship out for six weeks.

Reviews of AirPods have been largely positive, with customers praising the sound quality, battery life, ease of connectivity, and better than expected Bluetooth range, but some users have been having battery trouble with their Charging Case.

Related Roundup: AirPods 5
Buyer's Guide: AirPods (Buy Now)
Related Forum: AirPods

Popular Stories

iphone duo feature

Tim Cook Explains Why He Stepped Down as Apple CEO Before iPhone Duo Launch

Thursday October 8, 2026 11:05 am PDT by
The Independent's David Phelan on Wednesday interviewed Apple's executive chairman Tim Cook at Apple's U.K. headquarters in the Battersea Power Station, and one of the topics they discussed was John Ternus taking over as Apple's CEO. Ternus, who was previously Apple's hardware engineering chief, succeeded Cook as Apple's CEO on September 1. Cook said the transition "started years ago."...
AirPods Pro Beta Firmware 2

Apple Releases New AirPods Beta Firmware

Tuesday October 13, 2026 11:28 am PDT by
Apple today released new beta firmware for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, AirPods 4, AirPods 5, and AirPods Max 2. The firmware has a build number of 9B5043a and is rolling out for developers and public beta testers. There's no word on what's included in the firmware update because Apple doesn't offer notes for AirPods beta releases. When the AirPods are connected to an iPhone, iPad,...
tim cook john ternus apple ceo

Tim Cook Says He's 'Not Meddling' With Apple's New CEO John Ternus

Thursday October 8, 2026 11:15 am PDT by
In his new role as the executive chairman of Apple's board of directors, Tim Cook told The Independent's David Phelan that he is "not meddling" with Apple's new CEO John Ternus. "First of all, John and I have an incredible level of trust in each other," said Cook. "The relationship must be based on trust, and the communication must be frequent and significant. But other than that, what I'm...

Top Rated Comments

129 months ago
LOL ol'd Timmy apparently doesn't read MacRumors.
MR readers are not representative of the Apple users demographic by a long shot.
Score: 85 Votes (Like | Disagree)
itsmilo Avatar
129 months ago
Apple using the word "Great" is like Valley Girls saying "Awesome". It lost its meaning years ago
Score: 66 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macsplusmacs Avatar
129 months ago
I flipping love my Air Pods.
Score: 63 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
129 months ago
Has he ever said or implied anything other than "every product is amazing and the best ever and the most successful"?

He's just complete PR & hyperbole quite frankly.
Totally useless information.
Score: 57 Votes (Like | Disagree)
129 months ago
Well, when you're a tech stock play, what else would you expect the company cheerleader to say?
Score: 52 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FightTheFuture Avatar
129 months ago
Borrowed a coworkers for an afternoon the other day - these things are awesome. Best Apple product in a long time.
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Latest Stories
Veterans Day Apple Watch Activity Challenge Launches November 11
Veterans Day Apple Watch Activity Challenge Launches November 11
26 minutes ago
Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals: Save Hundreds on MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and More
Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals: Save Hundreds on MacBook Air, Mac Mini, and More
1 hour ago
Apple Fitness+ Gets Gym Strength Plans in iOS 27.3
Apple Fitness+ Gets Gym Strength Plans in iOS 27.3
1 hour ago
iOS 27.3 Adding New StandBy Mode Features to iPhone 11 and Newer
iOS 27.3 Adding New StandBy Mode Features to iPhone 11 and Newer
1 hour ago
Apple Releases New AirPods Beta Firmware
Apple Releases New AirPods Beta Firmware
1 hour ago
iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Apple Intelligence to China
iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Apple Intelligence to China
1 hour ago
iPhone Duo Gets Reachability in iOS 27.3 Beta
iPhone Duo Gets Reachability in iOS 27.3 Beta
1 hour ago
Siri AI Gets More Capable in iOS 27.3
Siri AI Gets More Capable in iOS 27.3
2 hours ago
iOS 27.3 Adds Vertical Tabs and Adaptive Dark Mode to Safari
iOS 27.3 Adds Vertical Tabs and Adaptive Dark Mode to Safari
2 hours ago
watchOS 27.3 Brings Live Rewind and Siri Recap to Apple Watch
watchOS 27.3 Brings Live Rewind and Siri Recap to Apple Watch
2 hours ago
iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Back Apple's Redesigned Health App
iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Back Apple's Redesigned Health App
2 hours ago
Apple Releases First macOS Golden Gate 27.3 Beta
Apple Releases First macOS Golden Gate 27.3 Beta
3 hours ago
Apple Seeds First iOS 27.3 Beta
Apple Seeds First iOS 27.3 Beta
3 hours ago
Apple Releases First watchOS 27.3, tvOS 27.3 and visionOS 27.3 Betas
Apple Releases First watchOS 27.3, tvOS 27.3 and visionOS 27.3 Betas
3 hours ago
iPad Mini 8 Reviewer Isn't Satisfied With Apple's Excuse for Lack of 120Hz Display
iPad Mini 8 Reviewer Isn't Satisfied With Apple's Excuse for Lack of 120Hz Display
3 hours ago
iPad Mini 8 Review Claims Battery Life is Way Better Than Apple Says
iPad Mini 8 Review Claims Battery Life is Way Better Than Apple Says
3 hours ago
B&H Photo Launches Early Black Friday Sale With Discounts on Macs and Accessories
B&H Photo Launches Early Black Friday Sale With Discounts on Macs and Accessories
4 hours ago
iPhone Duo Could Take Nearly 30% of Foldable Market in 2027
iPhone Duo Could Take Nearly 30% of Foldable Market in 2027
4 hours ago
Apple Watch Automatically Identifies Songs Playing Around You
Apple Watch Automatically Identifies Songs Playing Around You
5 hours ago
iPhone 18 Rumored to Get Larger Battery and Potential Price Increase
iPhone 18 Rumored to Get Larger Battery and Potential Price Increase
5 hours ago
Apple Store in UK Permanently Closing Later This Month
Apple Store in UK Permanently Closing Later This Month
5 hours ago
Apple's Annual R&D Spending Jumps by More Than $11 Billion
Apple's Annual R&D Spending Jumps by More Than $11 Billion
6 hours ago
Will Apple Ever Merge iPadOS and macOS? John Ternus Responds
Will Apple Ever Merge iPadOS and macOS? John Ternus Responds
6 hours ago
MacBook Neo Gets Rare $30 Amazon Discount
MacBook Neo Gets Rare $30 Amazon Discount
7 hours ago
Hands-On: The OLED iPad Mini is Almost an iPad Pro Mini
Hands-On: The OLED iPad Mini is Almost an iPad Pro Mini
7 hours ago
tvOS 27.2.1 and macOS 27.2.1 Likely Coming Soon
tvOS 27.2.1 and macOS 27.2.1 Likely Coming Soon
7 hours ago
MKBHD Switches Back to iPhone 18 Pro After Testing iPhone Duo
MKBHD Switches Back to iPhone 18 Pro After Testing iPhone Duo
8 hours ago
Apple Explores Cheaper Way to Make New MacBook Pro's OLED Tech
Apple Explores Cheaper Way to Make New MacBook Pro's OLED Tech
9 hours ago
Apple Released the iPhone X Nine Years Ago Today
Apple Released the iPhone X Nine Years Ago Today
12 hours ago
Apple Requiring Developers to Disclose Location Sharing and Dating Features in Apps
Apple Requiring Developers to Disclose Location Sharing and Dating Features in Apps
20 hours ago