Delivery estimates for the AirPods Max are well into January for most colors, which means there's no chance for orders placed now to arrive in time for the December holidays, but as it turns out, you can get AirPods Max quicker if you choose an engraving.
In the pink color, for example, AirPods Max with an engraving can be delivered between December 30 and January 7, while without an engraving, the shipment estimate is 12 to 14 weeks. The green version will deliver between January 21 and 28 with an engraving instead of the 12 to 14 week estimate, and in blue, adding an engraving cuts the wait by a month.
Silver and space gray AirPods Max are still delivering at the end of December, so adding an engraving only cuts a couple of days off of the shipping time. Engravings can include anything from a single emoji to up to 14 characters.
It's not entirely clear why AirPods Max headphones with engravings are shipping out faster, but it seems that Apple has separate stock set aside for people who choose the headphones with an engraving and without, which explains the shorter shipping times.
It's also possible that Apple will soon have in-store AirPods Max stock, with pickup options that will be available more quickly than waiting for a shipment. AirPods Max are priced starting at $549 and the first deliveries will start on December 15.
Note that there seems to be some confusion over whether Apple products with engravings can be returned to Apple. Apple may not have allowed these returns in the past, but there is no language in Apple's return policy about engravings and Apple's support staff has confirmed that engraved items can be returned.
Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more.
Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1.
Release Date
Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
Wednesday October 29, 2025 4:22 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple is about to drop iOS 26.1, the first major point release since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least six notable changes and improvements to look forward to. We've rounded them up below.
Apple has already provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 26.1, which means Apple will likely roll out the update to all compatible...
Monday October 27, 2025 4:51 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple is designing an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, and rumors suggest that it could come out sometime in the next couple of months. We're not expecting a major overhaul with design changes, but even a simple chip upgrade will bring major improvements to Apple's set-top box.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
We've rounded up all the latest Apple TV rumors.
...
Monday October 27, 2025 9:15 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple this month refreshed the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, and higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are expected to follow in early 2026. However, these machines will represent the final update to the current design, with Apple reportedly developing a completely new version of the MacBook Pro packed with next-generation hardware...
Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:07 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1 updates for testing purposes. The RCs betas come a week after Apple released the fourth betas.
The new betas can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software...
Friday October 24, 2025 2:30 pm PDT by Juli Clover
In the fourth iOS 26.1 beta, Apple added a "Tinted" option that reduces the translucency of Liquid Glass for those who prefer a more opaque look. I saw some comments wondering whether the setting might preserve battery life, so I thought I'd do some testing.
Test Settings
I did four separate tests using the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and I kept the parameters as similar as possible. Here are the...
Monday October 27, 2025 7:41 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
You will "soon" be able to add a digital version of your U.S. passport to your iPhone, according to Jennifer Bailey, vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet.
Bailey reiterated that the feature is coming soon during her keynote at the Money20/20 USA conference in Las Vegas on Sunday.
On its iOS 26 page, Apple says the delayed feature will be "coming later this year."
Apple's...
Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:21 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of macOS Tahoe 26.1, which means the update will likely see a public launch next week.
The release candidate includes notes on what's in the update, so we have a full picture of the new features that Apple has included.
macOS Tahoe 26.1 adds AutoMix support over AirPlay, improved FaceTime audio...
Monday October 27, 2025 4:01 pm PDT by Juli Clover
For the 10th anniversary iPhone that came out in 2017, Apple introduced the iPhone X with Face ID, notch, and minimized bezels, providing more display space than ever before. The 20th iPhone anniversary is approaching and Apple wants to take the iPhone X design even further.
We're two years away from the 2027 iPhone, but it's tough for Apple to keep major changes under wraps. We've rounded...
I think a lot of people don't understand the scale that Apple operates on. There's not a room with a bunch of AirPod Max boxes and if someone orders an engraving, an Apple employe comes by, takes a box …
These are most definitely at different places and have separate stock. So the ones in the place(s) for delivery without engraving are already sold out for months, the other place(s) not so much.
Any word on whether the Smart Case is vegan or not? Bloomberg reported that it's leather but there's no evidence of this in the press release or the product page.
