Here's why you can't get AirPods right now

Apple CEO Tim Cook, talking AirPod availability on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE):

AirPods are a runaway success. We're making those just as fast as we can.

When asked if Apple could speed up production, Cook said they were doing the best they could.

Cutting edge products, which are the kind Apple often likes to bring to market, often come with supply constraints or yield issues or the other types of challenges common to — wait for it — cutting edge products.

You can't get AirPods at most Apple Stores, or online without shipping delays, because Apple simply can't make enough supply to meet demand.

Earlier this week, I called it one of the biggest problems facing Apple in 2017, and it is. But it's also part of what makes Apple Apple.

They could phone in a new set of EarPods and get millions on the shelf. But that's not how they roll. They want to push as fast and as far as possible without missing the line. The trick is to know where that line is, though, and to make the incredibly difficult look absolutely easy peasy.

Often they succeed at just that. When they don't...

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... we get really awkward CNBC passive aggressive humor on the floor of the NYSE.

Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.