New York, Dec 18 (IANS): Apple customers, who pre-ordered the tech giant's wireless earphones AirPods, have started receiving a pair of the product after the sales went live recently, a media report said.

Customers received a word that their orders had been shipped and were scheduled to arrive as promised on December 21, a report on AppleInsider said.

Apple announced its first branded wireless headphones with iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in September 2016 and the product went up for sale on December 13.

AirPods are priced at Rs 15,400 in India.

According to the report, AirPods were regarded as a highly anticipated item and the initial supply was quickly depleted, pushing back shipment estimates to four weeks mere hours after release.

Alongside pre-order shipments, AirPods are rumoured to land in Apple retail stores, as well as mobile carrier outlets and authorised Apple resellers by as early as next week.

AirPods are automatically on and always connected. They can sense when they are in ears and pause when taken out.

They are driven by the custom-designed Apple W1 chip for efficient wireless connection and improved sound. The W1 chip manages battery life which lets the product deliver five hours of listening time on a single charge.

Just 15 minutes of charging can give three hours of listening time. To check the battery, user can hold the AirPods next to an iPhone or ask Siri "How's the battery on my AirPods?"