Apple fans around the world were noticeably agitated when October came and went without an AirPods release, and they grew even more upset when Apple’s new truly wireless earbuds didn’t launch in November either. Of course now that AirPods have finally been released, all has been forgiven and forgotten. Well, that’s not entirely true — Apple fans are now agitated for a different reason: AirPods are next to impossible to actually get your hands on.
It’s the same old story… Apple launches a new product and it’s out of stock everywhere. The fact that AirPods were delayed by more than a month suggested that supply would likely be extra tight at launch, and that certainly seems to be the case. New AirPods orders placed on Apple’s website won’t ship for an estimated six weeks, and online orders placed for in-store pickup won’t be available until sometime in February, according to Apple’s online store.
But there’s something you should know: Apple stores across the country get additional AirPods shipments constantly, so you can score a pair much sooner if you time it right. And now, there’s a new website that takes all the guesswork out of the equation.
Reddit user “3picide” created a simple web-based tool called Fruit Basket, which serves a single purpose. Simply enter your postal code and the site will show you whether or not AirPods are in stock in any nearby Apple store locations. The answer is almost always no, of course, so the site constantly rechecks store inventory to see if new shipments have arrived. In the event that AirPods appear in stock at any stores in your area, the site will pop up a notification and play a sound to let you know. Then, it’s off to the races — place an order online for in-store pickup as quickly as you can, or call to see if they’ll hold a pair for you (most Apple store employees won’t but some will).
Fruit Basket is completely free to use, but you can donate to the developer using PayPal if you’d like.
