Apple released the iPhone 7 without a headphone port, promising to launch the wireless AirPods soon. Black Friday is here and there are still no AirPods in sight.
"Wireless. Effortless. Magical." This is the description of the wireless earbuds on Apple's official product page. Until now, the pods are "currently unavailable" on the Apple shop. Now that the biggest sales event of the year is underway, shoppers are clamoring more than ever as to where the promised accessories are.
According to Business Insider, the AirPods were originally slated to hit the market last October. Apple later on announced that they would not be able to ship just yet.
"We don't believe in shipping a product before it's ready, and we need a little more time before AirPods are ready for our customers," Apple said in a statement.
While many Apple fans are disappointed with the delay, this might as well be an expected outcome. The concept behind the product is definitely unique --- something only Apple can come up with. Pre-launch product testing, however, has shown that there are many glitches and inconveniences with the AirPods.
For instance, the official product page claims that "talking to your favorite personal assistant is a cinch. Just double-tap either AirPod to activate Siri, without taking your iPhone out of your pocket."
This looks good on paper, but it can problematic in actual use. Raising the volume requires double tapping the pod to activate Siri and stop the music. Then, a voice command must be given to raise the volume. Finally, the music continues. It all sounds promising, but it can be quite an inconvenient solution. On top of this, bluetooth connectivity issues have also been reported.
While the delay in production and release might be related to these kinks, it is uncharacteristic for the tech giant to have this kind of setback. This leaves a certain question hanging in the air: did Apple give a promise too big for it to commit to?
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