AirPods Now Shipping to Customers Around the World

After going up for order on Tuesday, Apple's AirPods have now been marked as "shipped" for the first wave of customers who were lucky enough to order their pair before delivery estimates slipped to four weeks, and then six weeks. Many users in the United States, Australia, Canada, Europe, and elsewhere have taken to Twitter and Reddit to share that their AirPods shipments are on the way.

airpods-shipments-us
Delivery dates still vary slightly among customers, but the average estimates suggest deliveries on either December 20 or December 21. AirPods launched in more than 100 countries around the world, and a few areas in Europe and Australia saw slightly earlier delivery dates for the wireless headphones than those given to U.S. customers, with some as soon as Monday, December 19. Australia customers specifically reported shipping status updates earlier in the week.

For anyone who missed out on the first run of orders, Apple will begin selling the AirPods in its retail stores Monday morning. Some of the company's authorized resellers and a few carrier stores will also be receiving AirPods stock next week. Given how fast they sold out online, the supply of AirPods in retail locations is also expected to be limited. Nevertheless, in the press release on Tuesday, Apple said that its retail locations will receive "regular AirPods shipments" going forward.

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

Popular Stories

airpods pro 3 purple

New, Higher End AirPods Pro Coming This Year

Tuesday January 20, 2026 9:05 am PST by
Apple is planning to debut a high-end secondary version of AirPods Pro 3 this year, sitting in the lineup alongside the current model, reports suggest. Back in September 2025, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to introduce a successor to the AirPods Pro 3 in 2026. This would be somewhat unusual since Apple normally waits around three years to make major...
smaller dynamic island iphone 18 pro Filip Vabrous%CC%8Cek

iPhone 18 Pro Leak: Smaller Dynamic Island, No Top-Left Camera Cutout

Tuesday January 20, 2026 2:34 am PST by
Over the last few months, rumors around the iPhone 18 Pro's front-panel design have been conflicted, with some supply-chain leaks pointing to under-display Face ID, reports suggesting a top-left hole-punch camera, and debate over whether the familiar Dynamic Island will shrink, shift, or disappear entirely. Today, Weibo-based leaker Instant Digital shared new details that appear to clarify the ...
Apple Logo Spotlight

Apple Expected to Unveil Five All-New Products This Year

Wednesday January 21, 2026 10:54 am PST by
In addition to updating many of its existing products, Apple is expected to unveil five all-new products this year, including a smart home hub, a Face ID doorbell, a MacBook with an A18 Pro chip, a foldable iPhone, and augmented reality glasses. Below, we have recapped rumored features for each product. Smart Home Hub Apple home hub (concept) Apple's long-rumored smart home hub should...
Liquid Glass App Store Feature

App Store and Apple TV Experiencing Outage

Tuesday January 20, 2026 4:36 pm PST by
Apple's App Store, iTunes Store, and Apple TV service are experiencing an outage at the current time, according to Apple's System Status page. Apple says that some users may be experiencing issues with the App Store and iTunes Store. Apple also says some users may be seeing intermittent issues with Apple TV. The Apple TV Channels feature is down too, and users may be unable to access some...
airtag prime day 2

Apple Developing AirTag-Sized AI Pin With Dual Cameras

Wednesday January 21, 2026 12:31 pm PST by
Apple is working on a small, wearable AI pin equipped with multiple cameras, a speaker, and microphones, reports The Information. If it actually launches, the AI pin will likely run the new Siri chatbot that Apple plans to unveil in iOS 27. The pin is said to be similar in size to an AirTag, with a thin, flat, circular disc shape. It has an aluminum and glass shell, and two cameras at the...

Top Rated Comments

musika Avatar
119 months ago
Mine shipped. Coming a day early. I blame Tim Cook.

(Had to fit in with the average irrational MacRumors poster.)
Score: 52 Votes (Like | Disagree)
exodiusprime Avatar
119 months ago
Just be careful when wearing them :D

Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RDeckard Avatar
119 months ago
I still cannot understand why anyone would buy these as they are substantially inferior in sound compared to most other wireless earbuds.

Not only that, they are a heck of a lot more expensive too!

Plus you can lose them!

And then pay an additional $70 to replace one! Ridiculous.

It just boggles me. I have the Jaybird X2's which I got for $80 and they've been serving me incredibly well with exceptional sound, and they have a band around both earpieces so you don't lose them.





This is how the AirPods should've been, Apple.
* Have you listened to the AirPods already and tested that they're "substantially inferior in sound compared to most other wireless earbuds?" Lucky you, especially since NO one (who has ordered them last week) in the world has received a pair. Could you kindly enlighten us with your article and testing methods?
* Maybe some people don't want the wire between the two earbuds?
* Maybe people just want to use ONE earbud when taking calls or listening to a podcast?
* Maybe you just don't buy them if you don't like them?
* Maybe you should design the next/real AirPods?

Genuine questions.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
penajmz Avatar
119 months ago
I'm in this first wave. Apple says delivers the 21st but FedEx says the 20th. We shall see.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Brookzy Avatar
119 months ago
So what do you reckon the chance of these being in my local Apple Store in Kingston, Uk on Monday?


Seriously though, analysing what Apple said: "Stores will receive regular shipments", is precisely the same as what they said about the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard last year, and they were impossible to find. Trying central London stores as soon as they open is your best shot.

Attachment Image
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SockRolid Avatar
119 months ago
Mine shipped. Coming a day early. I blame Tim Cook.

(Had to fit in with the average irrational MacRumors poster.)
Just for completeness:
- Apple is so doomed.
- Tim Cook needs to be uninstalled.
- This never would have happened if Steve were still alive.
/s

UPDATE: I'm a long time Apple fan but might switch to [Brand X] because [x, y, z].
/s
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)