For this week's giveaway, we've once again teamed up with BlackPods to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a pair of AirPods that have been custom-painted black or space gray to better match darker devices.
We've given away black AirPods in the past, but this time around, BlackPods has an all new BlackPods Aero in a metallic space gray finish that's a nice alternative to the standard white AirPods that Apple offers.
If you haven't seen BlackPods before, the company takes a standard pair of Apple's AirPods and then paints them using a proprietary coating system.
There's a three-phase finishing process for a high-quality coating of paint that's designed not to chip, fade, scuff, or wear off during usage. Each pair of BlackPods is completed by hand and then given a rigorous inspection to make sure the finish is flawless.
BlackPods offers several finish options -- the BlackPods Classic with a high-gloss black coating, the BlackPods Stealth with a matte satin coating, and the new BlackPods Aero Space Gray with a lighter gray metallic coating.
BlackPods Classic are priced at $279, while the BlackPods Stealth and the BlackPods Aero Space Gray are priced at $299. That's a $120 to $140 premium over Apple's standard AirPods, but BlackPods is offering one of the only methods to get a unique black or gray finish for your AirPods.
In addition to selling completed sets of painted AirPods, BlackPods also has a service that allows customers to send in their previously purchased AirPods for customization at a lower price. The process costs between $99 and $119 and it takes approximately 10 days to complete. The service includes the painting of both AirPods and the AirPods charging case.
Since BlackPods are simply re-painted AirPods, the full AirPods functionality remains intact, with a W1 chip for simple paring with all of your devices, a long battery life, an accelerometer for ear detection, and gesture support.
We have a set of BlackPods to give away to a MacRumors reader, with the winner able to choose a Stealth, Classic, or Aero finish. To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.
Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.
The contest will run from today (January 5) at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time on January 12. The winners will be chosen randomly on January 12 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.
