Best Buy, too.
When I got mine, I used this site to alert me about stock:
https://www.isinstock.com/apple/airpods/white/subscriptions/new
Another Macrumors member dropped that tip in a different thread and I've used it a few times already.
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Apple Increased AirPods Production Capacity, But Still Unable to Meet Demand
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When I got mine, I used this site to alert me about stock:
https://www.isinstock.com/apple/airpods/white/subscriptions/new
Another Macrumors member dropped that tip in a different thread and I've used it a few times already.
See some options for gel covers that go around the Air Pods in fitness sessions. They can help hold them in your ears well.
Important to note that in iOS 11 you can also assign "next track" and "previous track", as well as the ones you mentioned, to each AirPod independently.
Airpods are the most Apple-like product Apple has made since Steve Jobs died. Sure, they're not for everyone, but I just love them because they're SO simple and fun to use. I have lots of Bluetooth stuff, and it's all very finicky except for the Airpods. You just open the case and put them in your ears, a chime tells you they're ready to go, and you press play on the iPhone. Done. The case itself makes for the perfect storage and keeps them charged without me really having to think about it. It's satisfying to open and close the case, it's fun to check the battery, and they fit perfectly into my pocket. Given how much Apple stumbled on the initial watch implementation (clunky, slow apps in particular), I was happy to see they still have the magic.
All the evidence points to Apple is storing AirPods for some sort of bundle special with the new phones. Looking back, there has never been an Apple product that there has been this sort of shipping delay for this length of time. The AirPods were delayed, but once they came out last December, there should have been a steady decline in the shipping delay, some sort of decline, but no it has remained at six weeks. That makes sense if Apple has decided that they need to siphon off a large chunk, tens of millions, to prepare for a special surprise bundle.
Why would Apple need to bundle two popular products like the AirPods and the iPhone? Two potential scenarios: First, if the rumors are true that the iPhone "8" is going to be supply constrained and Apple will use price to dampen demand as some has suggested, then Apple faces a PR problem with selling an iPhone at $1200 or more when competitors top of line phones are less. One way to solve this would be to sell the phone at $1249, call it the iPhone Pro and include AirPods, especially if they include new matching colors.
Another problem that Apple is likely wrestling with is sales of the rumored iPhone 7s. What will be impact on 7s if there is a iPhone 8 with significant new features? Will folks put off buying to wait for availability of constrained iPhone 8, or for those features like OLED to come to lower price phone? This could significantly damage sales of iPhone 7s. This is why the seemingly unlikely scenario of making the bundle be the iPhone 7s and AirPods may make sense. If Apple were to bundle the AirPods with the iPhone 7s, that would be an extremely attractive package that would cause many to leap for the package deal and potentially solve problem of reduced demand for iPhone 7s and the problem of folks feeling upset that they are missing out on iPhone 8 features because of either limited availability or high price.
Why would Apple need to bundle two popular products like the AirPods and the iPhone? Two potential scenarios: First, if the rumors are true that the iPhone "8" is going to be supply constrained and Apple will use price to dampen demand as some has suggested, then Apple faces a PR problem with selling an iPhone at $1200 or more when competitors top of line phones are less. One way to solve this would be to sell the phone at $1249, call it the iPhone Pro and include AirPods, especially if they include new matching colors.
Another problem that Apple is likely wrestling with is sales of the rumored iPhone 7s. What will be impact on 7s if there is a iPhone 8 with significant new features? Will folks put off buying to wait for availability of constrained iPhone 8, or for those features like OLED to come to lower price phone? This could significantly damage sales of iPhone 7s. This is why the seemingly unlikely scenario of making the bundle be the iPhone 7s and AirPods may make sense. If Apple were to bundle the AirPods with the iPhone 7s, that would be an extremely attractive package that would cause many to leap for the package deal and potentially solve problem of reduced demand for iPhone 7s and the problem of folks feeling upset that they are missing out on iPhone 8 features because of either limited availability or high price.
I think you can get a replacement via the Genius bar for one Airpod for like $70. Still gotta pay, but you shouldn't have to wait as long.
Only earbuds I've ever owned that DO stay in the ear. Must be the way your ears are shaped
[doublepost=1501695106][/doublepost]I just ordered a pair of the AirPods from Verizon and received them the next day. I paid extra on the shipping and received them the next day. Verizon has them and was told AT&T has them as well.
During today's earnings call covering the third fiscal quarter of 2017, Apple CEO Tim Cook briefly mentioned the company's super popular hard-to-come-by wireless earphones, the AirPods.
According to Cook, production capacity has been bumped up, but because of the high level of demand, Apple is still unable to make enough to reach supply/demand balance.Priced at $159, Apple's AirPods are wire-free earphones that feature Bluetooth and an Apple-designed W1 chip for a better connection and simple transfers between different devices. AirPods are equipped with an infrared sensor to detect when they're in the ear, and they support a range of touch-based gestures.
Since launch, AirPod supplies have been severely constrained and ship out from the online Apple Store in the U.S. in six weeks. That six week mark has not budged since December, but Apple retail stores occasionally have them in stock as do third-party retailers like Best Buy.
Article Link: Apple Increased AirPods Production Capacity, But Still Unable to Meet Demand
I’m glad to see these are doing well. I would love to get a pair but only if they release them in Jet Black. 
That's interesting to hear.
Yes, they are rare in Canada. 6 week wait time to get AirPods probably means a lot of people just cancel their orders - that's what I would do if I saw a 6 week delivery delay.
I think this is why I am not seeing AirPods everywhere in Canada just yet, but I think critical mass will happen, and everyone will be wanting them. Right now it is still only "early adopters"
I think AirPods will be hitting some critical mass - maybe it's September teenagers back to school that will cause increased awareness in Canada. Or when Canadians see that they are well accepted in USA.
It's just an interesting topic - that's why I comment about it - they are so awesome, I just find it hard to believe that 7 months after the release we still don't see the huge wave of AirPods here.
Have you ever pondered the possibility that you might just have weird ears?
Same here! I’d been casually bringing up the store on my phone to check for them maybe once or twice every few days in the preceding weeks. Very luckily, just happened to look at about 2pm UK time on the day in question and there they were there to order! My eyes popped out on stalks! Quickly ordered them, then visited MacRumors etc, and the news they were available didn’t appear till a few minutes after. So lucky.
Only thing I don’t use them for is at the gym, too little noise isolation for that purpose at my gym. Need something to drown out the garbage music they play lol
I am still laughing. I can't believe people are buying these things!
More money for me!!
more money for you....what?
This is one product that has dramatically changed the way I use my devices. No longer do I have to untangle cords or have my EarPods yanked out whenever they get snagged on something. AirPods are a nice improvement but they are not perfect. Whenever I go outside the house I'm tempted to bring my old earbuds because AirPods are quite expensive and easily lost. My old problems have been replaced with new ones. Now, I'm always nervous that I might loose my AirPods and I'd be stuck without a replacement because they are still not readily available. Additionally, it takes longer to switch to a different device. You'd think that they would incorporate a way to connect them by sliding up for the control center but sadly there is nothing there to control AirPods. Going into settings and choosing a Bluetooth device seems like a waist of time. Also, there is no easy way to adjust volume! I don't want to talk to Siri for her to do it. I find myself trying to adjust the volume by swiping up or down on the AirPods but that doesn't work. Hopefully they will make some improvements or make a newer version with volume controls but I'm not holding my breath.
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You ask how it's possible to not be able to catch up after six months. You speculated that Apple may be hedging its bets and producing smaller amounts. What makes you think this isn't the reason Apple is having trouble increasing supply and that Apple is actually creating demand with more supply?
AirPods are a product Apple has never made before. There are a lot of parts crammed into a pretty small space. This would require some really tight tolerances. That's two reasons right there as to why the likely explanation is that Apple hedged its bets and made too little. First of all, AirPods are a new product. When making a new product, most companies would make a small number of units and see how good sales are. This way, if the product doesn't sell well, the company won't find itself having sunk a bunch of money into a failed product. Also, unsold inventory costs money.
Let's talk about your idea that Apple may be limiting supply to create demand. Fundamentally, demand and supply are independent of each other. It may happen in some cases that limited supply increases demand but eventually, the product has to sell on its own merits. Apple can't forever rely on the strategy of creating demand by limiting supply. If the product sucks, people will find out and stop buying it and return it. Also, Apple can't book revenue on a customer who wants a pair of AirPods but can't get one because it's out of stock. There doesn't seem to be any real benefit of using gimmicks to sell a product that people aren't interested in buying.
I love mine... but today I was driving to meet a friend, double tapped, got Siri..."Send Ron my current location." OK, READY TO SEND" "Send". She sends him a text that reads, "My current location." and that's all. Duh.
I also have never been able to use Apples ear buds. I have 3 sets of them somewhere, each set having only been worn once. Well, sort of worn once, for a few seconds until they fell out of first one ear then the other. Evidently I have small ear canals because that oblong shaped speaker just doesn't even remotely fit. I don't bother considering them, not because of price or sound quality but because if I actually tried to use them I would lose them.