Tim Cook Says He Expects AirPods to Ship Over 'Next Few Weeks' in Email to Customer

airpods-duoMany customers are anxiously anticipating the release of Apple's wireless AirPods, originally slated to launch in October but later delayed. Fortunately, the wait may soon be over.

MacRumors has been forwarded an email in which Apple CEO Tim Cook, responding to a customer, allegedly said he anticipates AirPods to begin shipping "over the next few weeks."

Customer's comment: "Give us a release date. I really bought in to the wireless vision you painted. Now I'm stuck waiting with my EarPods but can't charge my 7 at the same time which I need to do at work. Let us know if it's a month or 6 months, because then I'll just buy some other wireless headphones."

Tim Cook's response: "Thanks for your note. Sorry for the delay---we are finalizing them and I anticipate we will begin to ship over the next few weeks."

MacRumors has verified the email's full headers appear to originate from Apple's corporate servers, while Apple executives are known to respond to customers on occasion, but as a boilerplate disclaimer, it should be noted these emails can of course be faked. Apple did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Apple has so far only said it needed "a little more time" before AirPods are ready for customers, while conflicting rumors have pointed towards release dates between December and January, offering little clarity. AirPods remain listed as both "coming soon" and "currently unavailable" on different sections of Apple's website.

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

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Shows Off a Key Reason to Upgrade to the iPhone 17

Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie. "Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...

Top Rated Comments

yaxomoxay Avatar
120 months ago
Surprised Tim responded.

The person who wrote to him was so rude-very unprofessional.
If you write to Apple's CEO (or MS or any big corp or government agency) you don't exchange pleasantries. A CEO skims through the emails that are passed to him by his staff... You have to be as direct as possible; the CEO's time is very valuable both in term of money and needs. Not filling the email with crap is actually a form of respect.
That email was not rude, it was direct.
Score: 49 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Corrode Avatar
120 months ago
The demanding tone of the customer's e-mail was incredibly rude. However valid his frustration, there's no excuse for that.
Seriously? If this is what you deem "incredibly rude", you must not spend much time on the internet.
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bluespark Avatar
120 months ago
The demanding tone of the customer's e-mail was incredibly rude. However valid his frustration, there's no excuse for that.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Robert.Walter Avatar
120 months ago
How about shipping an actual Pro Mac? (e.g. any/all of: 32 GB RAM option MBP, 17" MBP, Mac Pro, new mini etc?)
And I thought this was a thread about AirPods...
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
yaxomoxay Avatar
120 months ago
Why is it ok because everyone else is more rude "on the internet?" If someone talked to me like that in person, I'd laugh in their face and walk away.

"Give us the release date". The entire tone of the message was rude and childish.

I want these earphones as much as anyone, but emailing the CEO and demanding a release date lets us know that guy is very self entitled. There is a much more professional way to address these concerns directly to the CEO (if you think that's a good way to do it), and he chose not to.
Have you ever wrote or received a note from someone who's paygrade is way above yours? That email was not rude, it was direct. Let me break it down for you:

Give us a release date. --> The question/request.

I really bought in to the wireless vision you painted. Now I'm stuck waiting with my EarPods but can't charge my 7 at the same time which I need to do at work. --> The reason for the request, both in terms of needs and frustration/satisfaction.

Let us know if it's a month or 6 months, because then I'll just buy some other wireless headphones. --> Reiteration of the question/request, with possible workaround for the person posing the question.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thadoggfather Avatar
120 months ago
Surprised he didn't just say "I've been using them since before iPhone 7 launch, to my recollection not once have they fallen out of my ears, they're the BEST earbuds we've EVER created -- thanks for asking" and leave it at that,

Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)