AirPods Have Captured One Quarter of Wireless Headphone Spending Since Launching

[SteveW928]

Cook's iPod?

No, not even in the same category. They will be successful, but we're talking more like a bit more successful than the Apple Watch... nothing earth-shaking. BUT, they are probably a pretty high-margin product, so they don't have to sell like iPhones to be worth doing.

 

[manu chao]

Before removal of the headphone jack, USERS had the choice. They could go native wired or bluetooth. OPTIONS ( Ive thinks this is a dirty word ).

Tape the Lightning to 3.5 mm adaptor to the end of your headphone cable and still have the choice to plug them in. Or if Apple's standard wired earphones are fine with you, use the Earpods. Saying that there is no choice is just pure bull$hit.

 

[rcread]

I've been thinking of getting a pair of these. I like to listen to Podcasts while working on my cars or running, so audio quality isn't really of utmost importance. It sounds like most folks who've bought these are happy with them. I'll probably order them up this afternoon.

 

[NoNothing]

This doesn't actually look great... Apple owns Beats. So they cannibalized their own sales, but the real winner was Bose. Their segment of the market increased during this same time period. Not much to celebrate if you're Apple.

This just points to a problem with the stagnant Beats lineup. Beats X will help, but the PowerBeats need a big overhaul to make them a more competitive sport / workout headphone (and just adding the W1 chip isn't enough), and the studio monitors need a big overhaul. The new Bose QC 35 is far superior to those Beats Studio Wireless cans. The new Bose SoundSports are great...much better than the PowerBeats.

???? Are you serious? Seriously? Or did you forget the /s tag at the end.

With half a brain you will notice Apple went from 24% share to 41% share. And you think this is bad? Seriously?

NOTE: If you are not willing to eat your own young in business, a competitor will.

 

[SteveW928]

Tape the Lightning to 3.5 mm adaptor to the end of your headphone cable and still have the choice to plug them in. Or if Apple's standard wired earphones are fine with you, use the Earpods. Saying that there is no choice is just pure bull$hit.

No good choice would have been better.

Taping cords to the AirPods still has the effect of long-term RF right in your ears. And, you can't use wired ear-phones without the Lightning adapter that is likely to break/wear-out the port much more quickly under certain use cases.

 

[25ghosts]

I'm amazed that someone can conflate "quality" and "features".

Wake up, turn on the light, maybe crack open a dictionary....

Quality pertains to context ! Always has always will. A dictionary won't help anyone who reads and fails to grasp

 

[5105973]

AirPods are enjoying the initial jolt of pent up demand and weak competition, most of which is coming from the startup space. The only real competition for this product line is a Samsung product that is failing, and a new Sol Republic product, but Sol is not a large competitor in this space and neither is Samsung. Bose is currently the real competition for Apple in the headphone space and right now, Apple isn't setting itself up well with its Beats line.

Since you mentioned the Samsung EarPods...just a general FYI to everyone...I've got these http://www.samsung.com/us/audio/headphones/in-ear/gear-iconx-black-sm-r150nzkaxar/

I don't know if they're defective or what, but they sound so tinny. I have to put the volume higher than I would prefer just to hear anything and when I do...everyone sounds tinny with about as much depth and resonance as The Chipmunks.

And talk about popping out of my ears...they don't just pop out and fall down...they practically self eject from my ears and go flying.

There are three ear tip pieces total to try out but they go deep into the ear canal which may be why they work themselves out and self eject as I move my head around. No headbanging to heavy metal with these earbuds in! Thank goodness my husband got them for free. They came bundled as part of a bunch of freebies when my husband got me a Galaxy S7 and Gear VR bundle for Christmas (the S7 and the VR goggles are very nice).

My husband has the Air Pods. I got to try them and they fit nicely enough on me like the regular Apple earbuds do. The sound is good. Not great, but very good. They totally kick Samsung's IconX's butt. The Samsung ones look so much better and the Apple ones look absolutely ridiculous, but it's all about the sound and in that respect, Apple wins, at least with the particular ones I got to try.

 

[alexgowers]

I don't like to be skeptical but these headphones got massive exposure in the press and are the only first party solution for the iphone 7 with its absent headphone jack. The success is in part because of apple failing to deliver a fully formed product.

Is like saying apple captured most profits in the dongles market. Well they did because they offered no choice but to use either a new cable or an adapter.

 

[alphaod]

Something that the AirPods have achieve is there simplicity and use, especially how easy it is to switch between devices. I mean granted all of the devices I use are Apple devices, but the convenience is excellent.

Added of course they sound pretty decent, offer decent battery life, and I don't have to worry about cables when running (I hated those rubber ear-pieces since after a while they need replacing, and the cord between my JayBird X isn't that comfortable)

 

[marty11]

Good on Apple. I look forward to a steady stream of many innovative headphone products from my favorite computer company in the future.

 

[NoNothing]

Eh, not so much. Better to do it to your competition than yourself.

You really should discuss about business and strategy because you don't really understand it. So in your bizaro world, Apple should NEVER had come out with the iPhone because it destroyed the iPod sales? Apple should abandon their 5+ billion/quarter iPad business because if draws money away from their 4 billion/quarter Mac business?

You keep leaving the /s tag off so I have to assume you are serious.

 

[truthertech]

What support do you have that Beats had anything to do with these AirPods? An old Steve Jobs era earPod design with bluetooth radio glued into it. Probably didn't even change the speaker part of them which Apple's headphones have always sounded bad. Apple even forced Beats to suppress the release date of Beat's own wireless earphones, why would Apple release both an Apple branded AND Beats branded product if they were actually sharing technology and design? Beats still seems to be a very separate entity from Apple and I don't think Apple has utilized their acquisition well in this respect, at least nothing about the AirPod's suggests Beats was actually involved in them.

Read my friend. Nobody said Apple Beats had anything to do with Apple Airpods. In fact, you should know it was the opposite. Apple took technology developed for the Airpod and is adding it to its Beats line. When you reread the post, you'll see that it was all about the financial genius Cook was to acquire Beats for not only its streaming service (doing very well, zooming to number 2 in the world in a short time), but for what many missed at the time--the headphone line. That acquisition not only gave Apple some tremendous culturally relevant gravitas (yes, that means that large group of younger folks who spend money), but it is pumping serious money into Apple's coffers as the largest seller of wireless headphones in now the largest market (wireless) in the world. It also made Apple the largest seller of headphones in the premium, i.e., "most profitable" market in the world.

 

[manu chao]

No good choice would have been better.

Taping cords to the AirPods still has the effect of long-term RF right in your ears. And, you can't use wired ear-phones without the Lightning adapter that is likely to break/wear-out the port much more quickly under certain use cases.

I didn't mean taping cords to the AirPods. Tape the Lightning to 3.5 mm adaptor to any regular headphones and you have can plug in any headphone you want into an iPhone 7. And why would the adaptor wear out much more quickly than a standard 3.5 mm plug or a Lightning plug? If something will wear out, it will most likely be at the end that is plugged into the phone. And if that is a replaceable $9 adaptor, all the better.

 

[citysnaps]

I don't like to be skeptical but these headphones got massive exposure in the press and are the only first party solution for the iphone 7 with its absent headphone jack. The success is in part because of apple failing to deliver a fully formed product.

Is like saying apple captured most profits in the dongles market. Well they did because they offered no choice but to use either a new cable or an adapter.

A set of EarPods are in the box with every iPhone 7 sold. Just plug them in, as always.

 

[Pakaku]

So the competition was lousy, and Apple did something about it. That's fine with me, but I think I'd rather wait until some real wireless headphones come around that make the airpods sound like trash.

 

[truthertech]

Bose also saw a big increase, from 10% to 16%. What's the cause of that?

The hugely popular among travelers wireless QC 35, and in ear QC30's and Sound Sport lines. Bose, like Apple saw that wireless is the future and has move big time into wireless.

 

[SteveW928]

That acquisition not only gave Apple some tremendous culturally relevant gravitas (yes, that means that large group of younger folks who spend money), but it is pumping serious money into Apple's coffers as the largest seller of wireless headphones in now the largest market (wireless) in the world. It also made Apple the largest seller of headphones in the premium, i.e., "most profitable" market in the world.

So, you're saying that people will buy AirPods because they were fans of the Beats brand? I suppose, I guess I don't know that market well enough. But, as for 'largest seller of headphones' and 'most profitable' and such, I don't think headphone buyers care much about that stuff... that's more the interest of business analysts.

I didn't mean taping cords to the AirPods. Tape the Lightning to 3.5 mm adaptor to any regular headphones and you have can plug in any headphone you want into an iPhone 7. And why would the adaptor wear out much more quickly than a standard 3.5 mm plug or a Lightning plug? If something will wear out, it will most likely be at the end that is plugged into the phone. And if that is a replaceable $9 adaptor, all the better.

I see. Well, for example, my son's iPad mini is starting to get a bit flaky in terms of the Lightning connector, and that's just from a few years of less than careful plugging/unplugging. Having one of those connectors jostled around for hours each day in a pocket, I'm guessing, will do such damage FAR more quickly.

When 3.5mm fail, they almost always fail in the cord itself. I'm guessing a Lightning is going to fail BOTH at the cord, but also in terms of the jack and socket. I listen to hours of podcasts each day with my phone in my pocket while working and moving about. Someone is going to have to convince me that it isn't going to fail, before I try it on a $700+ device.

 

[mdelvecchio]

Very true. The fact that the Airpods use the same lightning port as other Apple's ports is huge. Can you imagine the backlash if Apple would have made a completely different charging method? Personally, I like the fact Apple included the charging cable as well. Never hurts to have more than charging cable around.

yup, having it use the lightning port takes a lot of pain out of recharging -- we have iPhone cables everywhere.

 

[4jasontv]

It's share of the revenue, or market share by value. It is not unit market share.

Right, thats what I figured. What's more interesting then is this means revenue of brand's not reported has decreased. This could mean that low cost headsets have decreased in price, that people are less willing to buy low cost headsets, or that people are more willing to buy expensive brand's when Apple makes it.

Or it could be a sampling error. After all the type person who would opt into the slice program requires some technological knowledge and limited concerns about giving access to personal information. Not only do you have to shop online, but you also have to give slice access to every email account you use for purchases.

 

[Creepitor]

.

 

[Thunderhawks]

Now we need iSupply to tell us they only cost 75 cents to manufacture and all the useless data is complete.

 

[Larry The L]

If they fit your ears they truly are one of the best options when you consider price/quality/compatibility/features. Easy to see why they're one of the top sellers in the wireless headphone market.

Please don't give me this "people buy it because of the Apple logo" BS!
Actually now that I think of it, I don't even think it have any Apple Logo
You create a nice product, people will buy it.

I think they're great, I just wish there was a setting to skip a track with a double tap. Other than that, battery life is great, charge time is quick, and they sound decent.

Best I have ever owned..wired or wireless

NO, you guys are all wrong. They can't be any good because so many of the smart and rational posters here have demonstrated so much hate against them (and any apple product for that matter) and Tim Cook.

I love mine. They sound good for what they are, they are reasonably priced (except for all the people here who can't afford them--they natually bash them), they look good, they pair very easily, and on and on. But the haters will hate any and all things apple, or any other brand for that matter. That's why this forum is so entertaining, but pretty much useless for valid and reasonable opinions and value.

 

[BornAgainMac]

Too bad it isn't a product you can just go to the store and pick them up.

 

[SSDGUY]

I really hate the fact that these dont fit my ears... They were the perfect wireless headphones for me, really loved everything about them (the lack of controls didnt bother me since i have an apple watch) and they sound great for my needs. But I had to return them because they came loose in my ear... If someone comes up with a nice solution like earhoox that fits in the case I may re-visit these.

I've never been able to use any of Apple's completely non-ergonomic ears buds. They just fall out with minimal movement and don't sound that great for music. Might be usable for phone calls and such, but if I'm wanting to hear music, I prefer my sealed-fit dual-driver Westones. They've served me well for 13 years without issue. I can't believe they still work!

 

[profets]

I'm still going to get the JayBird X3. I loved the X2 (until my cat chewed the wire lol). Physical volume control is a must for me. Longer battery life too. I haven't tried the X3 yet, but I think the only thing AirPods had over the X2 was slightly better bass performance. Pricing is pretty much the same.

The other advantages the AirPods have are zero wires and the W1 for seamless pairing and switching across all your Apple devices.

I can appreciate the use of the Jaybirds though. Have used a few different pairs for nearly 6 years consistently for workouts.

What's the battery life of the X3?

Quite sure it's rated at 8 hours of use. From my use of older Jaybirds, the battery life was always excellent.