Apple's first pair of wire-free headphones - AirPods - are now on sale for $229 after a couple of delays. While the truly wireless earbuds were meant to be in stores in October, Apple said it needed a "little more time" to get them right.
If you want to hit the trigger now, you can order a pair of AirPods through Apple's Online Store. At time of writing, you can expect to wait two weeks for shipping, so you might not get them in time for Christmas. Alternatively, AirPods will start showing up in brick-and-mortar Apple Stores from next week.
While traditional Bluetooth earbuds have a cable that joins one bud to another, AirPods are two independent units. The buds last five hours on a single charge, and 15 minutes in the included charging case gives you another three hours of juice. Apple says AirPods will last for more than 24 hours, when factoring in the number of recharges you get before the case runs flat.
While wire-free headphones are pretty nifty, the W1 chip found inside the AirPods is the real point of difference. The W1 chip allows AirPods to instantly pair with your iPhone when they're nearby, and supports simultaneous connections to your Apple Watch, iPad, and Mac.
AirPods might look a little odd, but we were quite impressed with the fit, feel, and ease of use in an early hands-on. Even a bit of ferocious headbanging wouldn't dislodge the buds.
If you prefer your headphones joined together, Apple's Beats Solo3 and Powerbeats3 both feature the same W1 chip. These are available to order now, priced at $399.95 and $259.95 respectively. Apple's BeatsX buds also use the W1 chip, but have been pushed back to early next year.
Alex Choros
Related Articles
