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

Popular Stories

2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Adjusts Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday November 6, 2025 11:12 am PST by
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store. The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the U.S., according to its website. Maximum values for most devices either decreased or saw no change, but the iPad Air received a slight bump. ...
Liquid Glass General Feature

Apple Shares Liquid Glass Design Gallery

Thursday November 6, 2025 2:45 pm PST by
Apple is promoting the new Liquid Glass design in iOS 26, showing off the ways that third-party developers are embracing the aesthetic in their apps. On its developer website, Apple is featuring a visual gallery that demonstrates how "teams of all sizes" are creating Liquid Glass experiences. The gallery features examples of Liquid Glass in apps for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac. Apple...
airtag purple

Apple's Website Lists AirTag 4-Pack at Shockingly Low Price [Updated]

Friday November 7, 2025 6:40 am PST by
Apple's online store in the U.S. is suddenly offering a pack of four AirTags for just $29, which is the same price as a single AirTag. This is likely a pricing error, and it is unclear if orders will be fulfilled. Apple has not discounted the AirTag four-pack in any other countries that we checked. Delivery estimates are already pushing into late November to early December, suggesting...
Early Black Friday Deals 1

The Best Early Black Friday Apple Deals on AirPods, Apple Watch, iPad, and More

Saturday November 8, 2025 6:16 am PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday November 3, 2025 5:54 am PST by
Following more than a month of beta testing, Apple released iOS 26.1 on Monday, November 3. The update includes a handful of new features and changes, including the ability to adjust the look of Liquid Glass and more. Below, we outline iOS 26.1's key new features. Liquid Glass Toggle iOS 26.1 lets you choose your preferred look for Liquid Glass. In the Settings app, under Display...
ikea smart home devices

IKEA Debuts 21 HomeKit-Compatible Smart Bulbs, Sensors, and Controls

Thursday November 6, 2025 4:08 pm PST by
IKEA today announced the upcoming launch of 21 new Matter-compatible smart home products that will be able to interface with HomeKit and the Apple Home app. There are sensors, lights, and control options, all of which will be reasonably priced. Some of the products are new, while some are updates to existing lines that IKEA previously offered. There are a series of new smart bulbs that are...
Apple fitness plus feature

Future of Apple Fitness+ 'Under Review'

Sunday November 9, 2025 5:30 am PST by
The future of Apple Fitness+ is "under review" amid a reorganization of the service, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that Apple Fitness+ remains one of the company's "weakest digital offerings." The service apparently suffers from high churn and little revenue. Nevertheless, Fitness+ has a small, loyal fanbase that...
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

Apple to Hide Selfie Camera Under Display of 20th Anniversary iPhone

Monday November 10, 2025 1:55 am PST by
Apple will conceal the front-facing camera under the screen of its 2027 iPhone, a Chinese leaker said today, corroborating reports that Apple's 20th anniversary iPhone will have no visible cutouts in the display. Weibo-based account Digital Chat Station said Apple's development of under-screen camera technology was progressing as planned for adoption in 2027, one year after it will...
maxresdefault

In-Depth iPhone Battery Experiment Pits Slow Charging Against Fast Charging

Friday November 7, 2025 1:19 pm PST by
HTX Studio this week shared the results from a six-month battery test that compared how fast charging and slow charging can affect battery life over time. Using six iPhone 12 models, the channel set up a system to drain the batteries from five percent and charge them to 100 percent over and over again. Three were fast charged, and three were slow charged. Another set of iPhones underwent...

Top Rated Comments

Jsameds Avatar
116 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
116 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
116 months ago
I flipping love my Air Pods.
Score: 63 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
116 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)
RedOrchestra Avatar
116 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
116 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)