After 12 Years, Apple May Finally Discontinue EarPods

[MacRumors]

12 years after Apple's EarPods were introduced with the iPhone 5, the company may finally discontinue its $19 wired earbuds.

According to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris, major U.S. retailer Target has listed all three EarPods variants (Lightning, 3.5mm, and USB-C) as "Non-Carry Forward," suggesting that they are soon to be discontinued. While it is unclear when this could occur, the timing of the news coinciding with Apple's "It's Glowtime" iPhone 16 Apple event later today suggests that the move could be imminent.

Apple's EarPods were first introduced in 2012 as the standard earphones bundled with iPhones and iPods, replacing the earlier circular earbuds. Initially, the EarPods were equipped with a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, but with the launch of the iPhone 7 and the introduction of AirPods in 2016, Apple started removing the headphone jack from its devices. A new version of the EarPods were released simultaneously with a Lightning connector to match the new iPhone's only remaining port. Last year, with the switch to USB-C on the iPhone 15 lineup, Apple introduced a third revision of the EarPods with a USB-C connector.

EarPods have seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years owing to their excellent microphone and low price point, so their discontinuation would likely disappoint many fans of the inexpensive earbuds.

Article Link: After 12 Years, Apple May Finally Discontinue EarPods

 

[akbarali.ch]

no, they shouldn't, they are decent sounding on a budget and very reliable too. A little less techie, using it sometime feels like tech detox.

 

[DBZmusicboy01]

Surprised they are going to discontinue the USB-C variant 😵‍💫

 

[Permanent Sigh]

Removing the headphone jack and pack-in earphones is one reason why people blast things on speakerphone.

 

[RedTheReader]

That's awful.

My 2019 AirPods 2 stopped working a few months ago, and I switched to the lightning EarPods I'd gotten with my 11PM and not touched ever since. I've got backup pairs from the ones my family's gotten over the years and never used. It's a fine experience, and now I won't have to deal with a guarantee of my headphones dying every few years due to degraded batteries. It's sad to see them kill such a useful product off.

 

[jchap]

I've noticed that the mic on the EarPods definitely sounds clearer than the AirPods Pro. For that reason, I still use the EarPods on FaceTime calls rather than reaching for the AirPods Pro.

 

[Shirasaki]

Surprised they are going to discontinue the USB-C variant 😵‍💫

Yeah, especially considering the USB-C version only existed for about a year, marking it the most short lived EarPods.

 

[firewire9000]

I doubt it very much, first because they still sell them like hot cakes and second because they recently moved the packaging from plastic to carboard only. Why making the effort to only discontinue them soon after?

 

[Shirasaki]

I use AirPods Pro a lot, and the freedom of not worrying about wires is great. But, AirPods Pro microphone is horrible. I have multiple instances of people saying they can’t hear me when using AirPods and I have to raise my speaking volume by quite a bit.
While I doubt I’ll go out of my way to get EarPods, it’s a shame to see it go.

 

[brofkand]

I could see discontinuing the lightning and 3.5mm models but keep the usb-c model

 

[Binarymix]

I’ll be buying a bunch then. People say I sound muffled on any AirPods I use, so I use the EarPods for phone calls.

They can’t be defective as it’s every pair I’ve bought. Maybe it’s the shape of my face. But the EarPods are excellent.

 

[sergekills]

Whaaaaat? No, god please, no!
The best headphones for the calls!

 

[applepotato666]

Eh, there's a lot of alternatives, but those are one of the "worth it" Apple products. I use them for calls a lot. People just can't hear me with the AirPods Pro unless I shout at uncomfortable volume and if I'm in public it just looks absurd. But I mostly use them when at work on the desk, plugged into the MacBook. I don't like worrying about battery when I'm trying to do work and I'm completely stationary so the wires aren't an issue.

 

[ignatius345]

Surprised they are going to discontinue the USB-C variant 😵‍💫

That would be a shame. I just bought a pair because they're one of the best ways to make a high quality phone call on the go!

 

[mcilwraith]

love my £19 earpods! i have no interest in £200 airpods that i need to charge all the time and drop constantly, then lose.

 

[mtrm]

Aren’t they mandated by law to bundle some earbuds with the iPhone in France? I remember reading about this some time ago. I wonder how they’ll do that if they discontinue them. Bundle AirPods instead 😋?

 

[dz5b609]

Doubt it, unless they're coming with an airpod product at a 50 dollar price point. But then there's still the abysmal microphone quality that's inherent with bluetooth compared to wired.

 

[con2apple]

Just bought new EarPods lighting and usb.
Because the battery in my Powerbeats only lasts two hours and the new ones are a long time coming.

Maybe I should buy some more. The EarPods are great Earphones and they cost only a fraction of the not-very-last-long-Bluetooth buds.

 

[Algr]

I think that wireless earbuds are inherently bad for phone calls, because the mic is in the wrong place. It is frustrating that headphone reviews never seem to check the quality of the mic. I bought some Beats headphones about a year ago and the mic was so bad I had to return them.

I wonder if anyone makes bluetooth headphones optimized to have a good mic?. These would have a longer boom on one side that would reach to where the sound is clearer. Sort of like this, but in airbuds form:

 

[svish]

Not sure whether this will happen. Will have to wait and see

 

[PotentPeas]

I love my EarPods...
I use bigger over-ear headphones when I am just chilling watching a TV show or playing video games in the evening, but EarPods are great for calls, video conferences, or for taking out on a walk to listen to podcasts. I have no interest in dealing with AirPods — cost much more, destined to die when the battery starts to fail, and easy to lose. If this turns out to be true then I will have to buy a small stock of the USB-C version so that I can continue to use them for many more years, if the ones I have now stop working or become damaged.

[Edit]
As others mentioned, because the model number changed when they updated the packaging, this is more likely just Target discontinuing the "old model" (package) in favor of the new one...

 

[Fat_Guy]

You can still use other headphones…

 

[ChrisBos]

Gen Z is gonna lose it

 

[Henry S]

Unless they move from USB-C I'm good. I keep a pair in my gym bag in case I forget to charge my AirPods.

 

[Xavier]

This is a back up headphone, like probably some others have, and mine has been trusty for YEARS. Maybe I should grab a USB-C version and have the back up longevity I need. Interested that this would go bye-bye as wired headphones are making a mild comeback, at least in my area.