I bought the In-Ear Headphones back in December 2008 when they started shipping. They are MUCH better that the stock earbuds. I'm surprised they have held up so well for 4 years. They still sound great. FYI, there are two drivers in these earphones. A woofer for the lows and mids, and a tweeter for the high frequencies. They have more of a clear and less muddled sound. The EarPods are a major improvement over the earbuds in terms of fitting into my ears, but a minor improvement in sound.
The Earpods seem to squeeze all the sound, and it sounds a bit muddy.
But the In-Ear Headphones are still as durible as the regualr headphones. So for $80 you BETTER take care of them. I wish they sold replacement ear tips, but they don't. 🙁