
Apple AirPods: iPhone accessory or the next big thing? - 123six
https://www.kevinrooke.com/post/apple-airpods-iphone-accessory-or-the-next-big-thing
======
paxys
As always, none of the numbers are official, so take all of them with a huge
grain of salt. The article also doesn't link to a single source, not even an
unofficial one.

> Assuming an even split of sales between Gen 1, Gen 2, and AirPods Pro,
> Airpods revenue was $12 billion in 2019

This itself is a terrible assumption. AirPods Pro launched in November 2019,
so had just 2 months of sales. Even otherwise, there is never an even split
between the lower and higher priced versions of any product, especially when
the higher one costs nearly double.

Another source ([https://hypebeast.com/2019/12/apple-airpods-stats-third-
larg...](https://hypebeast.com/2019/12/apple-airpods-stats-third-largest-
product-2021-analysts)) estimates the sales at $6 billion, half of what the
parent article says.

~~~
morganvachon
It's not just the numbers, there are other wild assumptions going on.

> _That means almost all iPhone users are still either using wired earphones
> or none at all._

I'm sorry, what? Non-Apple branded Bluetooth earphones (including AirPod
knockoffs) are ubiquitous, and far outnumber wired earphones (in part thanks
to Apple and many Android OEMs dropping headset jacks).

~~~
paulddraper
Imagine thinking that AirPods were the first wireless headset.

~~~
jtbayly
Imagine thinking the AirPods are a "headset."

~~~
paulddraper
Aren't they?

[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/headset](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/headset)

~~~
NikolaNovak
In my environment we tend to call "Headset" something that is set up for
quality conversations (think gaming or office headsets - large earmuffs and
microphone boom being defining quality) and "Headphones" things that are
intended primarily for consuming/listening (which may incidentally have a
microphone, typically inferior).

Understanding that may not be wider usage, I feel there exists a need (or at
least benefit) for two words - something which is good/intended for listening,
and something which is good/intended for conversing.

~~~
Lewton
AirPods are intended (and great) for talking

~~~
NikolaNovak
They are absolutely great... for person with the AirPods. For the rest of the
poor suckers on the call, it's headache time.

As I'm currently in operations, vast majority of my team spends 4+++ hrs a day
on calls and conference calls. We'll take a $20 3.5mm Logitech with a boom
over a $100 bluetooth with a boom over $200 bluetooth without a boom in a
heart beat. Anybody with airpods [or Samsung etc equivalents] has been taken
out to the back alley and shot by now.

------
gz5
Amazing how Apple managed to make the first cool MP3 player, then the first
cool smartphone and now the first cool bluetooth headset. For almost 20 years
now, Apple has owned electronic fashion. Sony for example was unable to parlay
its Walkman dominance into similar positions with new devices.

And make no mistake about it - a huge portion of these sales are people buying
Apple's marketing - not buying the tech itself.

Which I think may bode well for Apple in that we are only scratching the
surface of what the tech can do.

~~~
addicted
I strongly disagree about the fashion bit.

The iPod was better than any competitor it faced ever. The UI with the click
wheel was completely unmatched. Maybe the Zune, years later, came close, but
Apple absolutely crushed it with the iPhone and iPod touch.

The iPhone was leaps and bounds ahead of its time, to the point that the then
King of the hill, BlackBerry, didn’t even think it was possible. And the
smoothness of the UI was completely unmatched. The pocketPCs of the time were
clunky messes. The iPhone’s UI was so far ahead that it’s now the default UI
for every phone.

And finally, the AirPods are a far superior experience than the alternatives.
In addition though, the AirPods are extremely competitively priced.

~~~
ikeboy
My understanding is that the Airpods are not better than the high-end
competition. There's plenty of $100-150 Bluetooth earbuds that have better
sound quality, and a handful of sub-$100 ones that are just as good. You're
paying for the name.

[https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-airpods-review-
wireles...](https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-airpods-review-wireless-
headphones-sound-quality-battery-life-2019-8)

>The biggest downside? Their sound is just OK. AirPods produce a perfectly
average sound that's clear in the mid-tones and is good for podcasts but
doesn't pack much in the low end. And because of their open design, sound
isolation is terrible. There's also no noise cancellation, so you'll be stuck
hearing traffic or crowds around you. The Jabra Elite 65Ts produce much better
sound at about the same price. Even budget alternatives like the $80 Anker
Soundcore earbuds offer just-as-good sound for half the price.

I've read pretty much the same take from most reviewers I've looked at. It
matches quality on cheaper models, and is outpaced by competitors in the same
price range.

~~~
derefr
AirPods are the only Bluetooth earbuds that don't give me instant pressure
headaches. For some reason, nobody other than Apple wants to make wireless
earbuds, or even semi-wired Bluetooth "sport" earbuds, that don't have some
kind of conformant in-ear seal to them. In at least this sense, Apple's
product is decidedly "better."

Or, one might say, Apple's product is the only _satisfactory_ product on the
market. It could certainly be better; along some axes, it's strictly worse
than its competitors. But along a crucial axis, it meets a _minimum standard_
of quality—not hurting my ears—that nothing else does. Sort of like modern VR
products were "better" in that they finally met the minimum standard of
quality of "not making me throw up."

(You can tell that Apple is thinking specifically about this problem when
nobody else is, because when they decided to add a conformant seal to the
AirPods Pro, they then spent who-knows-how-much figuring out a way to actively
pump air out of the ear canal to relieve the pressure imbalance you create
when you shove the 'bud in there. I haven't tried those, but I'm pretty sure,
from the description of the pressure-equalization tech they employ, that they
wouldn't hurt my ears either.)

~~~
gimboland
OTOH, AirPods don't meet a minimum standard of quality for me, namely that of
actually staying in my ears. They just kind of sit there, dangling, and fall
out as soon as I turn my head. Only earbuds with an in-ear seal stay in — it
just seems to be how my ears are. (I haven't tried out the Pros, however.)

------
gmaster1440
Impressive figures no doubt, but in my opinion flawed to consider Airpods as a
standalone business and compare to other businesses. It's so successful
specifically because Apple built bespoke chips, software, and integration
across their ecosystem for the Airpods. This is something a brand new company
building just the Airpods product would never be able to accomplish.

~~~
ganstyles
I am on my third "generation" (Airpods, AP wireless, Airpods Pro) of Airpods
and have never been otherwise in the Apple ecosystem. I use Android. I think
there are probably some advantages like quick pairing and being able to see
battery level quickly, but so far haven't specifically needed this
information. Really love the Airpods, previous had several pairs of in ear
earbuds like the Google Pixel Buds, Beats, and over ear stuff like the Bose
QC35. The Airpods were nearly perfect, even without an iPhone, and the Airpods
Pro have made me totally replace even my Bose over the ears.

I think it's an amazing product even without the integration and software and
integration.

~~~
szemy2
Even for Android you can simply download an app that gives very similar
features.

------
dang
The submitted title ('Airpods make more money than Spotify, Twitter, Snapchat,
and Shopify combined') broke the site guidelines, which say: " _Please use the
original title, unless it is misleading or linkbait; don 't editorialize._"

Cherry-picking the detail you think is most important from an article is a
form of editorializing. If you want to say what you think is important about
an article, do not do so by changing the title. Instead, post it as a comment
to the thread. Then your view will be on a level playing field with everyone
else's.

[https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&qu...](https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&query=by%3Adang%20%22level%20playing%20field%22&sort=byDate&type=comment)

[https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html](https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html)

------
jackhalford
I have a pair of Airpods. What bugs me most is that le lithium battery is not
replaceable, and will degrade after a couple years. which makes these a high-
end throwaway device...

~~~
skyyler
That doesn't differ from their other offerings...

Their laptops and phones do not have replaceable batteries, why would their
headphones?

~~~
sosborn
Those batteries are replaceable, just not by you (officially anyway).

~~~
skyyler
And for $49 each, Apple will replace the batteries in your airpods. (they
probably just replace them)

If they aren't replaceable by you, they aren't replaceable.

~~~
ravenstine
If that's true, it actually sounds like a good deal.

~~~
filoleg
[https://support.apple.com/airpods/repair/service](https://support.apple.com/airpods/repair/service)

It is true, and it is indeed a pretty decent deal. $49 over the course of a
few years is imo a reasonable price I am willing to pay for this. They also
have a similar reasonably-priced battery replacement program for iPhones as
well.

------
russell_h
I was at Costco a while ago and overheard a conversation between some kind of
store manager and several visitors in suits.

The manager was explaining that on weeks when AirPods are in stock their sales
in the electronics department more than double. The exact numbers he mentioned
escape me but were staggering. The whole time people were loading thousand
dollar TVs onto carts - and the AirPods alone were doing that much over again
in sales.

------
dsalzman
Airpods are an integral part of Apple's future medical ambition. Always in ear
Airpods constantly taking your Temp, HR, Glucose, GSR, etc. With the kicker
that it is only stored locally and securely on your device, all processing
done locally via HealthKit. That customized data will change how we think
about patient care.

~~~
qsymmachus
> Always in ear

What percentage of Airpods owners do you reckon _always_ have them inside
their ears?

~~~
maximente
probably pretty high - apparently 17% of people in one survey said they have
left them in during sex, so there's that

~~~
jonny_eh
You need to take them out every 2-4 hours for charging.

~~~
joezydeco
I've noticed a lot of people wearing just one, my kids included. They
explained to me that by alternating earbuds they can wear them almost
continually.

~~~
onlyrealcuzzo
This sounds like the plot to a Dystopian tech movie. Something always in your
ear... whispering.

~~~
heavyset_go
The Seashells from Fahrenheit 451 fit into users ears like thimbles and they'd
be worn into the night, lulling users to sleep.

------
madrox
A couple years ago, I got a bit of saltwater in my iPhone and the headphone
jack failed. Since the next generation of iPhone (the iPhone X) was about to
come out, I held onto it for a couple months and bought AirPods.

I then realized this was Apple's real reason for eliminating the headphone
jack. It had nothing to do with courage. It was about eliminating a deeply
ingrained user habit so they could solve the problem they themselves created.
I wouldn't have bothered with the AirPods if my headphone jack had continued
to function.

That said, I don't know if Apple's strategy bothers me. There are a lot of
user behaviors rooted in history and old constraints rather than good
usability. There are a lot of downsides, but as someone who views technology
as ephemeral I don't know if it matters to me.

~~~
reaperducer
_I then realized this was Apple 's real reason for eliminating the headphone
jack._

To do away with the point of failure that you so aptly illustrated by getting
salt water in your phone?

 _I wouldn 't have bothered with the AirPods if my headphone jack had
continued to function._

That's you, though. There are clearly millions and millions of people who
don't want wires.

~~~
vinay427
> To do away with the point of failure that you so aptly illustrated by
> getting salt water in your phone?

That's Apple's point of failure. The rest of the industry (mostly) has worked
out how to make a headphone jack water-resistant, years before Apple made any
phone water-resistant at that.

~~~
reaperducer
_The rest of the industry (mostly) has worked out how to make a headphone jack
water-resistant_

Yes, by removing the headphone jack on high-end phones, just like Apple did.

Let's not pretend this is an Apple vs. The Rest Of The Industry sort of thing.
The whole sector is going that way; Apple just took the lead.

See also: Floppy drives.

~~~
vinay427
> Yes, by removing the headphone jack on high-end phones, just like Apple did.

No, this is clearly incorrect. As I said in my original comment, there were
water-resistant phones with headphones jacks years before Apple released one
without a headphone jack, and there are ones being released now as well. While
Samsung removed a headphone jack for a generation of their flagship phones,
the generations before and after were both water-resistant as well. Samsung's
newest releases (S10 Lite and Note10 Lite) both have headphone jacks and are
water-resistant.

From years ago: [https://techcrunch.com/2014/02/27/apple-if-samsung-and-
sony-...](https://techcrunch.com/2014/02/27/apple-if-samsung-and-sony-can-
make-a-waterproof-phone-so-can-you/)

------
ojosilva
Am I out of touch or are audio-first interfaces use in public spaces/work very
unpopular? I rarely witness people actioning Siri/Google assistant, most of
the time I guess for obvious reasons. I wonder what's the future of audio-
first UIs.

Obviously that's not the case in private, at home, the car and at specialized
aplications (ie medical), where audio tech is thriving.

~~~
ezzzzz
No you're correct. I personally feel silly asking Siri to do anything, but
yeah. I've never successfully written a speech-to-text text-message, my brain
just struggles to make it happen. Here is to hoping that brain-link stuff
actually happens (not holding my breath though).

------
gigatexal
It’s because they’re amazing. They’re seamless. And the work well enough and I
didn’t know I hated wired earbuds until I got them.

------
_bxg1
At a time when Apple in many ways feels like it's stagnating, the AirPods are
a breath of fresh air. With an "old Apple" focus on the details, they present
a fantastic user experience and give me faith that Apple still has the ability
to innovate when freed from the constraints of a long-lived, entrenched
product.

------
mastazi
I can't wear any earphones for more than 5 minutes without them falling off,
this is due to the morphology of my ears. I wonder: how large is the
percentage of people with the same problem? Anecdotal, but I know personally
at least a couple other people that can't wear earphones for the same reason.

Note: I'm talking about earphones/earbuds exclusively, headphones are fine for
obvious reasons. Also some types of earphones (designed for sports) that have
"ear-hooks" behind the ear are fine since the hooks will keep them in place.

Note 2: my ears don't have the "bump" (not sure what the scientific term is)
that is circled in red in this picture
[https://imgur.com/a/CJv20Zu](https://imgur.com/a/CJv20Zu)

Edit: that bump that I don't have is called "Antitragus"
[https://elementsofmorphology.nih.gov/anatomy-
ear.shtml](https://elementsofmorphology.nih.gov/anatomy-ear.shtml)

~~~
velosol
Does this mean you can't wear in-ear monitor type things, e.g. memory foam
tipped earbuds that stay in (I thought) through pressure in the ear canal?

~~~
mastazi
In my experience, many in-ear earphones don't have enough "grip" inside the
ear canal and they still rely on that "bump" in order to stay in place. I'm
talking about the ones that have a soft rubbery tip, I've never tried
earphones with memory foam though.

------
lolc
We're slowly turning into cyborgs. So far, the pieces are removable so the
transformation has not truly started except for some people with disabilities.
I wonder for how long that will remain true.

I expect to be the odd guy still using over-ear headphones at some point. When
everybody just gets implants. Or maybe I'll just join the crowd when my
hearing gets worse. Wouldn't want to miss out on music would I?

------
nkrisc
I have to wonder what percentage of people are like me and Apple
earbuds/AirPods have _never_ fit their ears? Are my ears that strangely
shaped? Most people seem to have no problem when I've never found a pair of
Apple earbuds that can stay in my ear if I do anything other than sit
completely still and upright. They just don't fit, at all in any way.

I have to use earbuds with a stiff silicone shroud that I can shove deep
enough on my ear canal that they can't fall out. I couldn't even get the hard
plastic Apple earbuds to balance in my ear, they just fell right out.

~~~
anaganisk
I have the same issue, and the only reason why i wont pickup earpods, they
just fall off, have you found anyway, to keep them in?

~~~
nkrisc
For Apple's products, no, they're completely unusable to me. For earbuds I
found some $15 Panasonic ones that sound alright and fit me perfectly, so I
bought 6 sets of them and just go through them over the years. I think I'm on
set #2 right now. I also have Sennheiser HD1 In-Ear Bluetooth earbuds that fit
pretty well, too. Both products I mentioned come with different size silicone
shrouds so I just found the ones that fit best and shove them into my ear
canal until they're stuck. Even then it's not perfect. My right ear doesn't
hold them as well as my left.

------
lordnacho
How does this compare to Apple Watch? Sounds to me like this is a fairly big
upside surprise. If you were given the choice beforehand, which of the two
would you want to have managed?

I would have guessed Watch but it looks like I'm wrong. Pretty astonishing
that people will throw an extra quarter on top of the price of their phone for
this, especially given that I've used noise cancelling headphones before. My
guess would have been that removing the wire would only make a small
difference.

I guess the market is there to discover this kind of thing. Kudos to Apple for
finding this.

~~~
_bxg1
A couple of key things make the experience fundamentally different from
traditional headphones, for me:

\- I can carry the little dental-floss-case around with me everywhere in my
pocket. Even if I don't plan on using them, I have them there just in case.
Especially when it comes to noise-cancelling, this has a major effect on day-
to-day life for me as unexpected use cases pop up.

\- It's not just the lack of a wire: one entire step is eliminated from
starting and stopping using your headphones. You just put them in your ears,
or take them out. There's no messing with a cord or even a menu on your phone.
Something easy is made effortless, which matters.

\- Once in, they stay out of the way so well that you can leave them in even
if you're not using them. Then when you do unexpectedly decide to watch a
video, or take a call, your phone is already plugged directly into your
headspace, no extra step necessary.

\- All the little details. The fact that taking one out of your ear pauses
your media and placing it back in resumes it is essential for wearing them
passively while out and about; ordering a coffee, etc. No fumbling with your
phone for a pause button; the social signal for "I'm listening" is paired with
what you want your media to be doing at that moment.

All of this combines into an experience so frictionless it's mindblowing.

------
zyang
It's incredible these tiny earbuds generate more than half the revenue of
Tesla.

------
Waterluvian
Has anyone found any info/study on "average likelihood of losing or damaging
an airpod in a given year"?

That's all that's stopping me from buying this and other premium products. I
love premium products but not if I have to replace them every year.

~~~
frenchie4111
It's definitely anecdotal, but I know probably 30+ people who own Airpods and
have never heard of anyone losing or having to have them replaced for any
reason.

~~~
kingosticks
Except all the people that have to replace them when the battery lifetime
expires. You can take as much care as you want with airpods, they will need
replacing and you'll need to fork out again.

------
yjhoney
I don't wear airpods because I came across a few articles saying they are they
are really bad for the environment:
[https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/neae8z/why-airpods-
are-a-...](https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/neae8z/why-airpods-are-a-social-
and-environmental-disaster)

Honestly a little surprised that Airpods would be so successful.

~~~
gowld
In the same way that every electronic product is really bad for the
environment and humanity.

~~~
redisman
At least these are tiny compared to the other electronic (and just general
plastic) junk I generate. I feel like every grocery trip I end up with 20x the
volume of plastic that AirPods have that I would get rid of after a few years.

------
komali2
> That means almost all iPhone users are still either using wired earphones or
> none at all.

Lol, or they're using other Bluetooth headphones?

~~~
netsharc
The sentence before that is "First, unit sales of AirPods have significant
room to grow from here.".

LOL indeed, is this what counts as market research/insight?

------
ravenstine
Anyone have experience using AirPods with Android? I have a Google Pixel(first
gen) and have tried various Bluetooth earbuds, but they all suck and have
frequent interference. Would be cool if I can bite the bullet and get AirPods
without suffering those same issues.

~~~
filoleg
Used them for a year on my old Galaxy S8+, no issues whatsoever. In fact, they
worked so well, they made me consider a forage into other apple once again,
after not using any for over 5 years. A lot of my friends with Androids use
airpods as well, and they vastly seem to prefer them, considering that a good
number of them went through a few other truly wireless in-ear headphones
before settling on airpods.

~~~
jakemal
What features are missing when using Android? I'm going to switch from Android
to iPhone when the next generation comes out but was thinking about getting
airpods before I get an iPhone. I was curious on what features require the
iPhone. I think I am mostly interested in the auto pause when taking them out
of your ear and the environment-aware noise cancelation

~~~
filoleg
Imo, none of the missing features were crucial or dealbreakers. The ones off
the top of my head:

1\. Initial pairing by simply opening the case instead of doing it through
bluetooth settings (only done once anyways). 2\. To check the battery, you
need to install a separate app. 3\. Activating Siri through a button press on
airpods. 4\. Single airpod listening mode. 5\. Automatic ear detection
(according to the article I read, cannot remember whether that was the case
back when I actually used it).

As for noise canceling controls and such, you might have to do some googling,
because I only tested Android with original airpods, before pro version was
available. But I have a few friends who bought pros for their Android phones
specifically for noise canceling, so I assume it works fine.

------
seibelj
Creating a successful hardware product, especially one that becomes a fashion
symbol, is _sooo_ much harder than creating software. Orders of magnitude
harder. They are now taking the profits from their success.

------
ezzzzz
This will get buried, but whatever, here are my $0.02 as an Airpods user. I
have the gen 1 airpods, have had them about 1.5 years and overall, I have been
pleased. Many people complain about battery life in the gen 1, I've never
experienced this, but I typically only use 1 pod at a time and cycle them out
when the battery gets low on one.

Pros: I think that the overall design/form-factor is the true winner. The
conveniently pocketable charging case, and the ability to wear them during
physical activities without falling out, without the need for annoying straps
etc is a huge win. Seriously. My hobby is skateboarding, and I have taken
countless falls, tons of high-impact activity, and have never once had them
fall out. Being free of wires also helps this. The pairing capabilities are
fine (Mac and Iphone user), but I agree with what others are saying in that
other options also handle this (almost) as well. I switching from IOS to Mac
to be mostly seamless, but sometimes have issues switching from Mac to IOS.
The sound quality is, meh, but this is Bluetooth, if you want audiophile
quality, you must look for wired.

Cons: One major gripe I have with the Airpods is that, while using 'Find-My'
works great if you lost an Airpod outside the case (while paired), it does not
work at all when the pods are in the case. I understand the charging case has
no speaker, therefore no good way to alert, but if Apple had this feature on a
new version, it might be enough to make me buy them before my current Airpods
reach EOL. My second complaint, is that I feel like Apple is under-utilizing
them as an input device for IOS/Mac. You have the capability of summoning
siri, and skipping tracks, but you can't do both on a single pod. This design
is bad UX for people like me, who typically only use 1 pod at a given time. I
also think it would be nice to adjust volume with a gesture. I also get that
Apple probably doesn't want to have feature overlap between Airpods and Apple
watch, but I digress.

Overall, despite some gripes, I don't really see any better options at this
time for what I need them to do. When my Gen 1s die, I will shell out for new
ones. I hope that Apple doesn't just rest on their laurels and actually adds
some new features/capabilities on subsequent releases, but I'm not holding my
breath.

------
peterwwillis
Several brands' true wireless earbuds have been rated as just as good or
better than Airpods, such as the Jabra Elite 65t and Anker Soundcore Liberty
Air 2, for significantly less ($100 and under). Newer models (that are also
cheaper) beat the AirPods Pro on every metric. I can't see how Airpods will
continue to be a market leader if their competitors continue this trend; it'll
end up like Android, where some people will pay a premium for a brand, and
everyone else will pay less for a competitor.

------
dijit
Personal opinion time; Airpods are a powerful coupling with the real next big
thing: The watch.

I think most of HN think of the watch as either a thing that will never happen
or they think it peaked. But not only do I think that I could likely go a day
without having my actual phone with me, I think this is only the beginning for
that form factor.

I mean, consider that: handoff is here, and works.

Airpods mean external peripherals can be attached seamlessly.

It supports LTE and Streaming music.

The future I see, phones as they currently exist become tablets, and watches
are the new phone.

~~~
john_minsk
If only apple watch faces were like apps on iPhone. Can't buy one until they
do.

------
themagician
I'm still surprised that it took so long to get wireless earbuds that didn't
suck. I guess battery/power technology was just never in a place to make them
feasible, but it still feels like it took a really long time. I remember when
the Jawbones first hit the market thinking like, really? Is this the best we
can do? Those things were huge.

Then we get airpods and I'm sort of stunned how small they actually are. I
just wish the battery was more easily replaceable.

------
cft
Airpods are popular not purely on their own merits: new phones don't have a
phone jack. So in the sense it's an exploitation of the existing iPhone
pricing power.

------
mlang23
I usually don't bitch about Apple pricing, since I personally consider ROI for
most Apple products pretty OK. But headphones that costs 2.5 times the price
of my Apple TV? Nah, thanks. 250 for headphones is just a joke. Divide that
price by 3 and I might be interested. But I am not going to pay 250 for
something I use once every month or so.

~~~
hyperbovine
I don’t think anyone expects you to.

------
mark_l_watson
One thing that I think is missed: AirPods are an almost have to have addition
to the Apple Watch. Without an iPhone, an Apple Watch with a data plan is
pretty good for text messaging (I am traveling and tonight during dinner with
my Dad and brother, the woman back home who takes care of my parrot texted me
and included four pictures - the pictures were easy to view on my Apple
Watch), phone calls, and reading emails. You can also use Apple Wallet on the
watch for airline check in images, store discount cards, etc.

With AirPods, an Apple Watch Is good for Audible books, podcasts, and music.

I used to think that it was cool to just take an iPhone on a trip and be
connected. Now, an Apple Watch with AirPods can suffice. For travel the only
thing missing from the Apple Watch is not being able to read eBooks which is
why AirPods and Audible fill an important use case.

Voice control gets better all the time and our always carry digital device can
get very small.

------
HeavyStorm
I have an airpod since November 2018. I've never had an iPhone.

A market research is due by Apple. This is the first Apple product that is
compatible outside its own ecosystem, and my guess is that this is having a
very positive impact on sales. Steve old "closed ecosystem" adage might be
doing more bad than good.

~~~
nicky0
You probably forgot that the iPod was Windows compatible.

------
thewileyone
Many alternatives with the same solution on Asian online marketplaces for the
fraction of the price of AirPods.

Conceptually, it's already the next big thing. Will it be Apple's next big
thing? Probably yes, but in a heavily competitive marketplace.

------
ngcc_hk
Just bought one and it is good. I got the previous version and an over the
head Bose cancellation one. Both have their use. (Airplane, plug in etc ) but
it is portable noise cancellation. That is great.

------
chiefalchemist
Not everyone will drop $1k for a new iPhone, but plenty will "upgrade" their
old device with Airpods. That's what we're seeing here. The question is: how
long can it continue?

------
Kiro
Threads about wireless headphones used to be filled with comments dismissing
the whole concept. Now all of a sudden it's the best thing ever. HN really is
a bad predictor for trends.

------
sadmann1
Are airpods really worth it or is it just marketing

~~~
sevencolors
The killer feature is the connection awareness. You put them in your ears and
it immediately connects. You take them out and it pauses the audio. I’ve had
several wireless earbuds and they all suffer from connection frustrations and
letting audio continue playing when not used.

~~~
crooked-v
> You take them out and it pauses the audio.

Even better, if you put that earbud back in it then continues playing in both
ears - which makes it a perfect intuitive enhancement of the physical actions
you'd already take to talk to somebody while you have earbuds in.

------
Kylekramer
I've idly thought that Spotify should get into hardware. Headphones and/or
speaker, purchase it connected to your account, and one touch button to a
stream of music you like.

Obviously a million times easier said than done, but has to be a better margin
business than where they currently are and would be good lock in.

~~~
taurath
A “single purpose music box” would be neat to me. Maybe it controls all the
speakers in my house, informs me of concerts coming up, let’s me set a mood,
and most importantly doesn’t care about anything else.

I feel like every gadget being in one is gonna start breaking down now that
software interop is more of a thing.

~~~
mrguyorama
Chromecast is $35 and will play spotify and other apps pretty darn well.

~~~
nathancahill
They did a recent promo with Google where you get a free Google Home Mini if
you're a subscriber. So I don't think they are getting in to hardware.

~~~
taurath
They have such economies of scale now, and such vertical integration that they
can sell you things like speakers for free as long as it has voice integration
and sucks up all of your data.

The only reason they don't sell a TV for $200 is they already get all that
data from the current TV providers. Chromebooks at $99? Sure, why not.

And eventually nobody can compete. Users must be in google, or amazons
ecosystem or be super rich to avoid it. Companies must hope that google or
amazon never move into their space because they can be obliterated. This is a
"kinder" version of what microsoft got anti-trusted for in the 90s.

------
fizixer
Do Airpods have a built-in microphone, and audio/ambient mixing (with ratio
controllable through the phone)?

I can't believe this feature is not standard on today's headphone products,
especially digital ones.

 __edit __: Thanks for the responses. Looks like Airpods pro do have this
feature. Thumbs up!

~~~
Psyonic
Airpods Pro do. Along with noise cancelling that's the main improvement.

------
mark-r
And now we discover why Apple removed the traditional headphone jack - and why
it's never coming back.

------
wallflower
> Keep an eye on AirPods feature improvements, and the possibility of an Apple
> audio operating system in 2020.

The out-of-the-box experience for Sonos is Apple like. Yes, there are forums
where users have issues, and so does Apple.

If Apple were to acquire Sonos, it would speed things up a bit.

------
typon
Wish there was a way for public investors to invest in certain parts of a
publicly traded company. If I believe in a certain project at Apple or Google,
I want to fund it and get returns on my investment.

~~~
capableweb
The government should work like that with taxes. Instead of just giving 100%
to whatever the government decides it wants to fund, 20% could be reserved to
go to what people want it to go to. Have some participation in the tax paying.

More interesting and better for the world if we apply that to governments
rather than companies :)

~~~
reaperducer
_Instead of just giving 100% to whatever the government decides it wants to
fund, 20% could be reserved to go to what people want it to go to._

Under that plan, the best funded parts of the government would be the ones
that benefit rich people only.

Then again, considering the intelligence and temperament of the average
person, I think in short order we'd have amazing playgrounds and free hot dog
stands everywhere, all under the flag of the hammer and sickle.

~~~
capableweb
Seems to have worked for Porto Alegre, according to
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porto_Alegre#Participatory_bud...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porto_Alegre#Participatory_budgeting)

> A World Bank paper suggests that participatory budgeting has led to direct
> improvements in facilities in Porto Alegre. For example, sewer and water
> connections increased from 75% of households in 1988 to 98% in 1997. The
> number of schools quadrupled since 1986.
> [http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTEMPOWERMENT/Resources/...](http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTEMPOWERMENT/Resources/14657_Partic-
> Budg-Brazil-web.pdf) (English)

Seems to also have been implemented in quite some places

> By 2001, more than 100 cities in Brazil had implemented PB, while in 2015,
> thousands of variations have been implemented in the Americas, Africa, Asia
> and Europe
> [http://www.publicdeliberation.net/jpd/vol8/iss2/art8/](http://www.publicdeliberation.net/jpd/vol8/iss2/art8/)

Would be interesting to see how it impacted those places

------
mk3
By using the airpods for a while, I can see it being used as communication
device in tandem with siri/apple watch. It's super convenient how it
integrates in Apple ecosystem even right now.

------
taf2
Now I can’t wait for Apple glass - fashion forward enhance eye glasses

~~~
jdhn
I'm with you, Apple contact lenses would be amazing.

------
spookybones
I have them and absolutely hate them. Syncing issues a third of the time that
are not easily remedied. I usually just use the wired version, which also
gives me volume control.

------
daveheq
Why people prefer wireless earphones to wired I'll never know; they cost more,
require charging, and are easy to lose.

~~~
efraim
But they don't have wires that are annoying and tethers your head to your
phone.

------
intopieces
I would love them to be an Apple Watch accessory. My dream is to leave my
iPhone at home and do Siri on watch only.

~~~
nikhizzle
As far as I understand, the Apple Watch has Siri, and the AirPods can pair
directly with the Apple Watch...no need for a phone.

------
reshie
as far as headphones go i have never seen one brand on so many heads and the
initial sales are impressive. would it not be better to compare like apple
music with spotify though. this is also hardware they would last a while and
without subscriptions. the sales will continue im sure but start to drop off.

------
untangle
Airpod sales benefit from one key feature: a big replacement market. They
break and get lost...a lot.

------
mc3
How do I profit from this information?

~~~
saagarjha
Buy AirPods.

~~~
mc3
What about an AirPod derivative. AirPod futures?

------
SStephano
I've personally bought 9 of these in the past year and need to buy the Pro's
one this month!

~~~
mrep
Why?

------
malloreon
>First, unit sales of AirPods have significant room to grow from here. 110
million AirPods have been sold since they launched, while Apple’s installed
base of iPhones is 900 million. That means almost all iPhone users are still
either using wired earphones or none at all.

I use $15 bluetooth earbuds cause I don't want to worry about losing them.

------
alexfromapex
Imagine if they managed to corner the illegal knockoff market how much they’d
make

------
misiti3780
Can you run with Airpods in?

~~~
JustSomeNobody
Get some of these[0] and it should be no problem.

[0] EarBuddyz 2.0 Ear Hooks and Covers Accessories Compatible with Apple
AirPods 1 & AirPods 2 or EarPods Headphones/ Earphones/ Earbuds (3 Pairs)
(Clear)
[https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019BREFE4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_EJ...](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019BREFE4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_EJsfEbM9WESMP)

------
Vysero
I really don't understand. Why would someone pay $120 for a product they can
buy online from a off brand retailer for half the price? I must be missing
something. How are airpods better than say Cambridge Audio Melomania's which
are almost half the cost?

~~~
MBCook
Have you used them?

They’re ridiculously low friction. Stick them in your ears and they’re on and
paired and ready. Take them out and they’re off. Store them and they’re
charging. Trivial to swap them between Apple devices, easy to pair the first
time.

And they sound great considering their size.

They’re little magic gizmos that make me (and millions of others) happy
because they work so well.

~~~
krick
Come on, they sound terrible compared to other true-wireless earbuds in the
same price range. And to be turned on/off automatically is absolutely standard
even for cheaper earbuds. The only thing that is true specifically for AirPods
is swapping between Apple devices.

~~~
saagarjha
What products do you think compete with it?

------
shmink
For me, apple audio earphones in general are really uncomfortable. They're
just hard plastic at the end of the day but that's just my experience. My main
problem with them is with other people. The audio leaks so much they may
aswell be speakers.

------
hart_russell
If apple is a public company, why are exact sales figures unknown?

~~~
tempestn
Public companies have to report their figures as a whole, but aren't required
to divulge sales data on specific products if they don't want to.

------
hyperpallium
As accessories, sales are limited to iphone numbers...

...until Airpods get an eSIM (like apple watches) and become standalone
products, they'll be earphones. Ear-phones, geddit? _Telephones_ for your
_ears_ , they'll be like... oh never mind.

~~~
tempestn
FWIW the 'phone' suffix just means relating to sound. A "tele-" phone
transmits sound over distance. "ear" phones put sound in your ears. (Megaphone
makes sounds loud, xylophone is a (traditionally) wood thing that makes sound,
homophones sound the same, ...)

~~~
hyperpallium
I know; it's a joke, conflating two common usages of "phone".

------
rooam-dev
Apple Ecosystem, Apple's way - create a problem and a solution at the same.

I wonder what's the ratio among the owners, who bought vs. who received them
as a gift.

~~~
umanwizard
> create a problem and a solution at the same

"Wires are annoying" and "other Bluetooth headphones suck" were not problems
created by Apple.

~~~
rooam-dev
They removed the wired option which created a problem for some and offered a
solution. Yes, I know about the dongle, already lost 2 of them.

------
krick
Why though? I don't know anything about AirPods Pro, but previous models were
quite mediocre product compared to competition.

------
justinzollars
Dear god. That's impressive.

------
rajacombinator
AirPods are an absolute joke. Total ripoff price, poor performance and design.
Everyone at Apple should be ashamed.

------
freepor
This is why Bay Area houses cost $2 million and why Enterprise SaaS is the
only viable startup sector.

------
plexiglass
I enjoyed reading this.

------
mfer
They're easy to loose! You have to keep buying more

~~~
saagarjha
They're really not.

------
shmerl
Apple starts making wireless headphones (who would think it's a novelty, when
they exist for years already), but calls them "airpods" instead of wireless
headphones. Hype jumps to the sky, because Apple.

------
just_myles
Link doesn't work for me. Interested in any correlation between airpod use and
making more money than Spotify, Twitter, Snapchat, and Shopify combined....
why does that even matter in this case? Do airpods read twitter feeds to you
:D ?

------
headsoup
The height (another one I suppose) of blind consumerism. Buying wireless
versions of the things that come in the box just because. And then also not
even attempting to look further than Apple highlights it's not a matter of
quality audio experience either.

------
hellllllllooo
Most profitable company in the tech world creates new product and uses prior
manufacturing skill, brand awareness/loyalty, device lock-in, advertising
experience and retail channels to sell it and makes more profit that arbitrary
list of companies in different business areas. What's the point?

~~~
excitom
Based on the lively discussion generated in this thread - because it's
interesting.

~~~
hellllllllooo
Sure. But it's hardly suprising nor is it a useful comparison to say airpods
make more revenue than Twitter.

------
mikece
What intrigues me more than the features of the AirPods -- especially the new
AirPods Pro -- is that these little things have the potential to be a platform
to themselves: [https://www.aboveavalon.com/notes/2019/11/19/airpods-are-
bec...](https://www.aboveavalon.com/notes/2019/11/19/airpods-are-becoming-a-
platform)

~~~
mantecademani
> This dynamic could be extended so that a simple tap of an AirPod or a quick
> voice command can take us to a different location via sound. Utilizing
> HomePods as sound receivers, an AirPods wearer would be able to “move” from
> the kitchen to family room.

That idea of transporting yourself to another location through the use of
sound is absolutely fascinating. I think developers should and will start to
consider how sound enhances existing experiences, and how new experiences can
come from looking at audio output and input as tools to be used to reach the
user.

Sound has kind of been neglected in more recent times in technology, with apps
and operating systems making fewer sounds then they did in the past, since
sounds are often intrusive to whatever other thing the user is listening to.
But sound has the potential to communicate completely different ideas and
experiences to users and that idea in the article to me is one prime example
of that sort of interaction that only works through sound.

~~~
reaperducer
_That idea of transporting yourself to another location through the use of
sound is absolutely fascinating. I think developers should and will start to
consider how sound enhances existing experiences, and how new experiences can
come from looking at audio output and input as tools to be used to reach the
user._

I seem to remember that Microsoft released an app for the iPhone that is a map
service, but it works on sound only because it's designed for blind people.

------
signalremotefac
And uber and wework and well...take your pick...zoom, that other one and that
other one. You know the one with the logo. slack. Is it called podhop? hoppod?
Airbnb, put them in too.

Thinking about it... I probably make more money than Spotify, Twitter,
Snapchat and shopify.

------
LegitShady
That's because they're overpriced heavily marketed Bluetooth earbuds pushed by
the biggest brand.

I bet almost any of apples products could be similarly compared.

~~~
patejam
Are they over priced? They're cheaper than Sennheiser or Bose at $159. They
have a value-prop of having their own, better, wireless protocol that works
flawlessly with iOS. And people seem to like the form factor.

------
rvz
Well its pretty simple. Just remove the most essential feature needed by
almost all iPhone users and create a new alternative, forcing everyone to buy
AirPods or the second-best alternative. If they won't upgrade soon, then
planned obsolescence takes it course. Due to the AirPods being a platform and
ecosystem in its self, there is less of a reason for iPhone users to settle on
an alternative apart from price, which completes the lock-in.

I would expect Apple to make more out the AirPods after they force those stuck
on iPhone 6S's or SE's to upgrade. Revenue-wise, it almost unfair to begin
comparing with the revenues with any of those mentioned companies. It just
puts things into perspective of how 'successful' the AirPods have become for
Apple.

~~~
Whatarethese
For a majority of people wireless earbuds are far superior than tangled corded
headphones. Its pretty clear based on how popular in ear Bluetooth earbuds
are. Not just on the iOS side either.

