Airpod are amazing, they can do so many things but none with quality. Microphone is abysmal, ANC stops working, left airpod stops charging since version 1. Terrible battery and you complain about the design defects, Apple will laugh at you.
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AirPods Are Still Untouchable as Apple Crushes the Competition in 2025
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So do mine. I remember my original AirPods lasted about 2 and a half years (they still worked, but lasted only about 30 min per charge). Battery management on the AirPods Pro seem better and battery health feels better overall.
And I've been on many a hiking trail that was "empty" until I rounded a bend and a group of hikers was there.
I for one have no idea why someone would go to all the trouble of going out into nature just to listen to recorded music they can hear anywhere -- and much less idea why they would feel entitled to broadcast their noise out into a shared natural enviroment that people go to specfically to get away and experience nature.
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I continue to love my AP4 ANC
My only wish is that they'd come with the volume swipe on the stalk as the APP2 have.
My only wish is that they'd come with the volume swipe on the stalk as the APP2 have.
I’ll be sure to let the people in the apartment next door know next time i’m bumping Wu Tang at 3am
Is this a news article or something from Apple's marketing department?
Apple maintained its position as the global leader in the wireless headphone market in the first quarter of 2025, achieving 18.2 million shipments and capturing a 23.3% market share, according to new data from Canalys.
The data suggests that Apple, including its Beats subsidiary, continues to leverage its hardware-software ecosystem to dominate the true wireless stereo (TWS) market. Although its market share declined slightly from 24.4% in the first quarter of 2024, Apple still obtained a 12% year-over-year growth in shipments, contributing significantly to the global market's overall rebound. Total global TWS shipments rose to 78.3 million units—marking an 18% annual increase, which is the fastest growth rate for the category since 2021.
Leading brands are reportedly expanding aggressively in both geographic reach and product positioning to capture new customers. Apple's continued growth is attributed to its strategic focus on adding health-related integrations and ecosystem. Features such as seamless device switching, spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, and hands-free Siri continue to differentiate Apple's products in a crowded and increasingly price-sensitive market. The latest Powerbeats Pro 2 include heart rate monitoring, while the AirPods Pro 2 now feature a series of hearing health functionalities, including the ability to work as medical-grade hearing aids.
While Apple continues to lead in established markets, including North America where it holds over 50% market share, growth in emerging regions is being driven by aggressive pricing and localization strategies from rival vendors. For example, Xiaomi achieved a 63% year-over-year increase in shipments, reaching nine million units and surpassing Samsung to become the second-largest TWS vendor globally. Samsung, which includes Harman subsidiaries such as JBL, shipped 5.6 million units and held a 7.1% share. Huawei and Indian brand boAt rounded out the top five, with a 6.0% and 4.9% market share respectively.
The broader market shift away from basic audio functionality toward lifestyle and ecosystem value places Apple in a favorable position, provided it continues to expand the utility and desirability of its headphone offerings. Canalys attributed the U.S. market's renewed growth partly to inventory buildup ahead of anticipated tariff changes, which prompted retail partners to stockpile high-demand products, including Apple's.
Canalys also highlighted the growing momentum of open-ear wireless devices (OWS), a category that includes ear-hook and ear-clip designs aimed at merging audio technology with fashion and a more ambient listening experience. OWS products currently trail traditional TWS devices in terms of audio fidelity, but Canalys said that some vendors are working with audio labs to narrow the gap. While Apple has not entered the OWS segment, the trend toward lifestyle-oriented form factors could influence the company's future products.
Article Link: AirPods Are Still Untouchable as Apple Crushes the Competition in 2025
Can we get an apple watch band with the three physical buttons that are on the earpods remote? To make it easier to quickly adjust volume and track control etc without having to even look at a screen
You’ve been able to have track control on the AirPods since they came out, play/pause/next/previous, and Pros have volume control on them as well.
with touch sensitive swipes on your year while you're moving? isn't it easier to to press a physical buttons on the wired remote at chest level? for one, they're physical buttons so you can actually feel them, and two, you don't have to press a device that's like, on your ear, which can be sort of hard while doing cardio on a treadmill or walking around thee neighborhood. I feel like we lost that with airpods. I was thinking maybe the airpods case itself could have a few physical buttons, but then I thought, maybe it makes more sense for the apple watch to do it. although honestly, it'd be nice if we could have something as light and airy as that remote and mic from the wired headset. maybe like a bluetooth wired headset, that also includes a charging pod, so we get the best of both worlds - the fact that a wire connecting the two airpods would make them less easy to lose, and the ability to have a pod to charge them in, when we throw them into the gym bag, instead of always having to plug them in via USBC.
I had that exact train of thought when reading about being #1, the large market share, “crushing competition” statement, etc…
Could picture EU and regulators from any place for that matter salivating at the ways of how to extract money from that.
“It’s a monopoly” so they will be fined.
“All third party earphones should be able to do x just like AirPods”, “the heart rate tech should be opened and shared” and who knows what else under some new DMA rules.
And I get that health advancements is a different beast, but humor me.
I remember when the AirPods convenient device swapping came out, it was great.
Before BT headphones were such a major hassle for that… this type of innovation is discouraged if when it’s successful it will be punished.
Still hope they continue exploring on all fronts
It’s not illegal to have a monopoly. It is illegal to extort your monopoly. So, for instance, Apple is not allowed to tell a retailer “if you sell Google products, you’re not allowed to sell Apple products. Or, to sell products at a loss to keep competitors out etc. Whether they need to open their software to others is complicated, because that is not just about whether they have a monopoly on headphones, but do they have a monopoly on phones? For this, the court said no. But, who knows what regulation will do in the future.
But, it is interesting that Apple has a larger market share on headphones than on phones. I guess a much smaller amount of Android users spend money on third party headphones.
Controlling tracks is done by squeezing, no different from the old iPod EarPod remote. Volume is with a swipe. You could use the EarPods with the usbc/headphone adapter which contains a dac to make the music sound better.
But why not just get EarPods and an iPod shuffle you can clip to your shirt while working out. Seems simpler and easier.
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My experience with AirPods Pro 1 has been less than great. The charging is a little weird in that the left one takes longer than the rest of the setup, and they have this incredibly annoying whistle when you put them in or really when you touch them at all, regardless of how often I clean them, re-pair them, do not make use of ANC or ear detection (which I really want to do) and all the other tricks I've heard of to correct the problem. The biggest issue is I can't keep them in my ears. These things will fall out if I talk, eat, move my head too much, or just over time. I've tried every size of tip I can find.
All that said, they're best integrated into the ecosystem, so I'm thinking I'll give the version 3's a chance whenever they launch to see if they've improved at all. Up to now, I've been using Jabra 8 Elite buds as my daily drivers, and they're better where the AirPods fail, and not as good where they succeed. At least the Jabras never move once I have them in, and the ANC is way better (although I understand the ANC got better since the first edition APP, so maybe that's corrected at least).
All that said, they're best integrated into the ecosystem, so I'm thinking I'll give the version 3's a chance whenever they launch to see if they've improved at all. Up to now, I've been using Jabra 8 Elite buds as my daily drivers, and they're better where the AirPods fail, and not as good where they succeed. At least the Jabras never move once I have them in, and the ANC is way better (although I understand the ANC got better since the first edition APP, so maybe that's corrected at least).