If you’ve been thinking to pick up Apple AirPods as a holiday gift, you may need to rethink your gift strategy. Both 9to5Mac and MacRumors have said that AirPods are out of stock at most of Apple’s online and retail stores around the world, so it’s not just limited to the United States.
Even if you were to visit a wireless carrier store or even other tech retail stores, they’re pretty dry too. Major retailers like Best Buy and Walmart are seeing their supply completely dry this holiday season. There’s a chance that AT&T might have AirPods in stock, but that depends on your location and if you’re willing to pay a premium on the earbuds. Unfortunately, if you were thinking to pick up the earbuds post-holiday season, there might be issues there too. Apple, at least, isn’t expecting to ship new AirPod orders until 2018.
If you’re really thinking of picking up the earbuds or headphones as a holiday gift, there are other options such as the Beats earphones (like BeatsX) that come with the same wireless chiop with a more conventional design. There’s also the Jaybird’s Run buds which give you a fully wireless audio experience that isn’t so Apple-centric.
The lack of AirPods will cause headaches and concerns for Apple-buyers this holiday season, but of course there are other options. Last year, Apple didn’t even have enough supply to meet demand for the AirPods. If you’re willing to wait a few weeks to receive your AirPods, then you may want to order them now and lock in your spot in line. If not, there are a lot of other good options out there.
