ColorWare now sells custom painted AirPods in 58 colors for $130 premium

AppleInsider

Although AirPods are still out of stock, those who waited to purchase Apple's first wireless earphones now have additional color options -- 58 to be exact -- to choose from thanks to aftermarket customization firm ColorWare.

ColorWare introduced the new product offering on Wednesday, unveiling a total of 58 different shades, including a metallic paint palette, in both glossy and matte finishes. Available to order now, the treatment costs $289 for a pair of painted AirPods or $319 if users opt to add-on a customized charging case.

The total package comes in at nearly double the cost of a regular pair of white AirPods. ColorWare defends the price point, saying the painting process is extremely difficult. Whether the firm completely disassembles each AirPod before painting is unclear, but a teardown last year revealed the device contains a substantial amount of adhesive that holds internal components together.

In any case, the process is time consuming. Since ColorWare gets their AirPods new from Apple, lead time on customized orders currently stands at 8 to 10 weeks. By comparison, Apple's online store is showing AirPods shipping estimates of 6 weeks as of this writing.

Customers interested in picking up a pair have the option of customizing each piece separately. For example, buyers can paint a right earbud solid red, the left earbud metallic purple and the case matte green.

To help customers pick out the perfect color scheme, ColorWare offers paint samples in swatches of three colors for $15.

For those looking for a slightly less expensive alternative, a small company out of Brooklyn called BlackPods is marketing an aftermarket painting service -- in black only -- that costs $249, including the price of a new pair of AirPods. Unlike ColorWare, BlackPods lets customers send in their own AirPods for coating, dropping the price down to $99.

It should be noted that BlackPods has yet to reveal a finished product, and the company's website only shows a computer generated rendering of a pair of painted black AirPods. The firm says it is waiting for their supply of new AirPods to arrive from Apple.

SpamSandwich

Is there really a market for this? Repaint these things at a cost equal to the price of the headphones? Wow.

bestkeptsecret

Wow! 58 different colorways!!

cali

SpamSandwich said:

Is there really a market for this? Repaint these things at a cost equal to the price of the headphones? Wow.

These things are about to get huge. There's gonna be markets for AirPods. 

jazzs953

Ridiculous, I bet Apple could start making colored AirPods right from the factory for at most a $30-$50 increase. When they do this company will be out of business overnight if they even make it to that day.

macxpress

jazzs953 said:

Ridiculous, I bet Apple could start making colored AirPods right from the factory for at most a $30-$50 increase. When they do this company will be out of business overnight if they even make it to that day.

They don't just color AirPods. They color almost any Apple product, among other devices. They've been in business for years doing this. And its not like they go buy a can of spray paint from Wal-Mart and spray paint these things. Also, most things they color, they disassemble which isn't always easy. I would think you're paying more for labor vs the actual paint process. 

I really don't see Apple creating colored AirPods, ever. If anything, black ones but thats it. 

holyone

That's 50 colors too many IMHO

mike1

SpamSandwich said:

Is there really a market for this? Repaint these things at a cost equal to the price of the headphones? Wow.

People pay to customize things all the time. Cars, clothing, electronics, homes etc. Just whatever you're into. To those who aren't into it, the cost always seems extreme.

sara_c

Sweet!!! - I've actually been using www.getairpodskin.com to color my AirPods and they look and feel pretty great and for under $9

randominternetperson

They look great.  If I were a millionaire celebrity, I'd get them in a few different colors.  People pay that kind of money for shoes and fashion accessories, so why not?

horvatic

After you do get this done are they going to warranty the AirPods if they stop working. I don't think Apple will warranty them because they have been modified.
Apple doesn't know what process they used to color them so what if paint gets inside the electronics then what? Your screwed!

StrangeDays

jazzs953 said:

Ridiculous, I bet Apple could start making colored AirPods right from the factory for at most a $30-$50 increase. When they do this company will be out of business overnight if they even make it to that day.

I don't think we'll see purple AirPods anytime soon, if ever. 

tallest skil

I’m just surprised that ColorWare still exists. There’s a market for recolonizations of computer cases? At all? Much less at their prices? No wonder the economy is such shit; the Fed prints whatever it likes and loans it at interest to our stupid government and then stupid people waste their strips of cloth on stupid things.

Nice to see you can be as tasteful or tasteless as you like, though.

StrangeDays

tallest skil said:

I’m just surprised that ColorWare still exists. There’s a market for recolonizations of computer cases? At all? Much less at their prices? No wonder the economy is such shit; the Fed prints whatever it likes and loans it at interest to our stupid government and then stupid people waste their strips of cloth on stupid things.

Nice to see you can be as tasteful or tasteless as you like, though.

And some people collect old coins -- point?