AirPods Release Date: December 13, 2016

The first AirPods were announced on 7 September 2016, the same day as the iPhone 7. Apple said they would be available starting in late October. They were not. AirPods actually went on sale on 13 December 2016, when Apple said they could be ordered online at Apple.com and would start delivering to customers and arriving at Apple stores, Apple Authorized Resellers and select carriers the following week.

In Japan, sales on Apple's site also began on 13 December, at ¥16,800 before tax, with an earliest delivery date of 19 December shown that day. The US price was $159, charging case included. At launch, then, Japan was among the countries where AirPods could be ordered on the same day as the US.

From announcement to sale

Date	Event
7 September 2016	AirPods announced alongside the iPhone 7: late October, $159 in the US
Late October 2016	The promised window passes without a release
13 December 2016	Online ordering opens on Apple.com; sales also start on Apple's Japanese site (¥16,800 before tax)
The following week	Deliveries to customers; arrivals at Apple stores, resellers and select carriers

Apple's 13 December announcement gave no reason for the delay.

How they worked

AirPods had no wire between the two earbuds. Open the charging case near an iPhone, tap once, and they were set up — that was the centre of Apple's pitch. The December announcement added that the same tap set them up with every device signed into the user's iCloud account, including Apple Watch, iPad and Mac.

	First AirPods (2016)
Chip	Apple-designed W1, which Apple said used a third of the power of traditional wireless chips
Sensors	Dual optical sensors and accelerometers in each earbud: play when in the ear, pause when removed
Microphones	Beam-forming microphones, with an accelerometer that detects when you are speaking
Controls	Double tap for Siri; no switches or buttons
Battery	Up to 5 hours per charge; more than 24 hours with the case
US price	$159, charging case included
Japan price	¥16,800 before tax

Apple called the battery life industry-leading. In the September release, Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, said: "AirPods are the first headphones to deliver a breakthrough wireless audio experience". Both are Apple's own claims.

Not the first truly wireless earbuds

Earbuds with no cable between them existed before AirPods. On 4 September 2015 the British site Expert Reviews published a hands-on with Onkyo's W800BT: each earbud had its own drivers, circuitry and battery, the carry case doubled as a charger, and November was pencilled in for availability. The reviewer wrote that it looked set to be the first pair of truly wireless in-ear headphones people would actually be able to buy, as opposed to Kickstarter projects.

What AirPods brought was not the form but the combination: automatic setup with the iPhone through the W1 chip, in-ear detection and Siri, in one product.

The same day as the iPhone 7

AirPods were announced on the same day as the iPhone 7, the first iPhone without a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The phone shipped with Lightning-connector earphones in the box; the wire-free option was sold separately. Schiller's quote in the AirPods release ended: "We can't wait for users to try them with iPhone 7 and Apple Watch Series 2." The phone itself is covered on the iPhone 7 page.

After the first AirPods

Announced	Product	Main change
20 March 2019	AirPods (2nd generation)	The H1 chip designed for headphones, hands-free "Hey Siri", 50 percent more talk time, and an optional wireless charging case
28 October 2019	AirPods Pro	Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode; $249 in the US, in stores from 30 October
8 December 2020	AirPods Max	An over-ear design with Active Noise Cancellation, Adaptive EQ and spatial audio
18 October 2021	AirPods (3rd generation)	A new contoured design, spatial audio with Dolby Atmos and dynamic head tracking, sweat and water resistance, a force sensor for controls, and up to six hours of listening

Read across five years, the line moved in a clear direction. The first AirPods sold convenience — no wires, one-tap setup, automatic pause. The H1 chip of 2019 made the connection faster and Siri hands-free; AirPods Pro added control over outside noise; and by 2021 the plain AirPods had spatial audio and resistance to sweat and water. The idea that started in 2016 — headphones that set themselves up with your Apple devices — stayed constant underneath.

In March 2019 Apple described AirPods as the world's most popular wireless headphones, and in October Schiller said: "AirPods are the best-selling headphones in the world." Both are Apple's own descriptions, given without sales figures.

For the company, see Apple; for the wearable that came before, the Apple Watch; and for the wider story, the mobile timeline.

The First AirPods — Promised for Late October, Shipped in December

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