Apple AirPods Pro
Apple
Apple‘s new AirPods Pro headphones, which launched in October and feature new noise-canceling technology and a new design, are completely sold out online ahead of the holidays.
Analysts predicted this, and it shows that Apple clearly has another huge hit on its hands. In November, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said the AirPods Pro were a “clear star of Black Friday and the holiday season” and predicted shortages. Ives said in November that he expects Apple to ship 65 million AirPods in 2019, and potentially 85 million to 90 million units in 2020. (That figure includes the cheaper, “regular” AirPods model as well.)
Apple Stores ran out of stock in November, when CNBC noticed that orders wouldn’t arrive until after Christmas. But, at that time, AirPods Pro were still in stock online and in store at plenty of other retailers, including Target, Walmart and Best Buy.
Now, most of those retailers don’t have any delivery options online and most don’t have stock in stores, either. There are a few stores that might have an extremely limited number of units for pickup available depending on where you live. In one case, CNBC found a Walmart store in Kearny, New Jersey, with stock, for example.
Some wireless carriers also stock AirPods. Only Verizon Wireless can get you a pair near Christmas. If you order now, Verizon’s website says you can get a pair shipped by Dec. 27. AT&T and T-Mobile are sold out.
And Amazon was a go-to spot for AirPods Pro ahead of the holidays, since it offered them at a $10 discount over anywhere else. But now Amazon is also out of stock.
The best option right now, if you absolutely need a pair for Christmas, is to check eBay. Plenty of buyers are selling AirPods Pro, but many are charging a $100 premium, with units costing about $350. And you might run the risk of accidentally buying a knockoff.
