[Update] AirPods Max deliveries returned marked 'Hazardous Materials'
What you need to know
- AirPods Max shipments in Canada are being sent back to Apple marked as 'hazardous materials', but it's unclear why.
Update: December 17 - 8:30 am ET: UPS Canada has confirmed to iMore that the packages tendered to UPS were incorrectly labeled. UPS says that for the safety of its employees and community all shipments containing potentially hazardous materials must follow specific guidelines, and that it has followed up to ensure proper labelling. It seems apparent that the labelling mixup was caused by a problem with labels when UPS received the packages.
Customers in Canada are reporting that their AirPods Max shipments are being sent back to Apple marked 'hazardous' materials.
Reported by iPhone in Canada:
The report shows a shipping notification with the above message, and at least one iPhone in Canada reader in Ontario had their package returned to Apple following the "hazardous materials" designation.
A second customer based in Calgary reported an identical story, where their AirPods Max were also marked "hazardous materials" halfway through shipping and returned to Apple.
As the report notes, the blow is doubly insulting given just how hard it is to get hold of AirPods Max, which currently have a shipping time of more than three months in most stores around the world.
Apple released its AirPods Max last week. Priced a $549, they feature "high-fidelity audio", adaptive EQ, active noise cancellation, and spatial audio. From Apple:
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Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design. Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9