Apple
- Customers who order Apple’s new $550 AirPods Max headphones may have to wait up to 14 weeks for them to be delivered, according to Apple’s website.
- In the US, the delivery time for all five colors is listed as 12 to 14 weeks. Bloomberg first reported on the news.
- Adding a free engraving can make this quicker — though it depends on the color you order.
- Here’s everything we know about the AirPods Max so far.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
If you’re hoping to order Apple’s new AirPods Max headphones as a holiday gift, you may be disappointed.
Delivery of the $549 noise-cancelling headphones could take 12 to 14 weeks, according to Apple’s website. Bloomberg first reported on the news.
This is the case for all five color options in the US.
When pre-orders went live Tuesday morning, all colors were available for delivery as early as December 15, the item’s launch date. But over the course of the day, the wait times became longer as customers were keen to snap up the first-ever Apple-branded over-the-ear headphones.
Adding a free engraving could bring the waiting time down, though this changes depending on which color you order.
Adding letters, symbols, or emojis to the side of the wireless headphones brings the wait time on Apple's website to eight to 10 weeks for the green model, and to between February 1 and 5 for the gray, silver, and pink versions.
But even with an engraving, the delivery time for the blue model is still listed as 12 to 14 weeks.
Customers in other countries could fare better, though again this varies massively depending on which color is selected.
In the UK, the gray and blue models will take between 12 and 14 weeks to be dispatched, according to Apple's website - compared to just three to four if you opt for a silver, green, or pink pair. And like in the US, adding engravings brings the wait time down for the gray and blue versions, but actually makes longer for the green and pink pairs.
The long waits could come as a blow to customers who hoped to buy the new headphones as a holiday gift. Apple had initially planned to start selling the new model earlier this fall, but its release was delayed after some testers found the headband too tight.
Resellers are already listing the headphones on eBay for hefty profits. Some are priced at more than $900, compared to the $549 Apple is charging, and promise delivery before December 25.
The first deliveries to Apple's physical stores will be made next week, when the headphones officially launch.