Potential Pixel Buds 2 dark clouds appear as pre-orders are canceled

Google announced its second generation of TWS earbuds, the Pixel Buds 2, last year, and billed the devices to be launched sometime in Spring. The Pixel Buds 2 was expected to land, perhaps alongside the Pixel 4a next month, but there's been a new development.

Pre-order pages for the Pixel Buds 2 have been up for a while, with Best Buy putting one up albeit temporarily. Chicago-based retail store Abt also had the Pixel Buds 2 up for pre-order with a US$179 price tag, but has now spontaneously canceled all orders.

The store reportedly sent out this message to those who pre-ordered the buds:

We're not sure why. Perhaps Google wasn't keen on a third-party shop listing its unreleased hardware. There's also a chance that there could be new unforeseen production or logistic issues due to the current Coronavirus situation.