Bluetooth Headphone Revenue Overtakes Non-Bluetooth Ahead of iPhone 7 Launch

[tech3475]

Does this include IEMs?

One of my main issues with getting rid of the headphone jack is that mainly use relatively cheap £10-20 IEMs which I find more convenient that BT alternatives (it's nice not having to charge yet ANOTHER device).

To me, the loss of the headphone jack outweighs the (from what I can see) minor if not insigificant benefits.

 

[Bawstun]

Considering most people already have wired headphones, I would guess the majority of new purchasers would be for BT headphones (them wanting something wireless). Since BT headphones cost more than their wired counterparts, it also makes sense that most of the headphone sales dollars come from that.

Despite this, I suppose the article is trying to say that people aren't buying wired anymore and that BT is on the upswing, just in time for the new jack-less iPhone?

Seems the article is just twisting things around and massaging the data to fit the purpose.

Bingo! Total spin on the details and doesn't imply what you think. Wired still beats BT by vast margins. Bad idea Apple. Entirely anti-consumer.

 

[MH01]

And, theoretically, all batteries and electronics in wireless headphones are somehow repairable/replaceable...

We are talking just about a cable here, electronics basics 101. It just a wire.... Repairing a BT headset is somewhat more complicated

 

[Armandodj]

I have both Bluetooth and with cable, the Bluetooth are for just listening music, but if have to use headphones for mixing music Bluetooth are crap there is always a delay. Not crazy about eliminate the headphone jack at all I will consider to get an iPhone without headphone jack not crazy about the idea and not planning to spend more money on headphones.

 

[macduke]

Apple usually obsoletes tech way in advance. So now they're late to the game?

I have a pair of nice noise cancelling earbuds. Half the time at work I'm listening to music or a podcast (usually when designing), the other half the time I'm wearing them as earplugs because I just want quiet concentration (usually when I'm coding). But the cord dangling down is always annoying and gets in my way. I'm looking forward to going wireless. Then I can just wear them all around the office as earplugs and nobody will say a thing. And if they do I won't hear them! I was going to buy some late last autumn but decided to wait to see what Apple was gonna do first.

 

[truthertech]

Bingo! Total spin on the details and doesn't imply what you think. Wired still beats BT by vast margins. Bad idea Apple. Entirely anti-consumer.

No, the article just states the fact that BT is fast growing and has already taken over in terms of revenue. With BT 4.1 and 4.2 and soon BT 5, today's near 20% will soon be the majority. Somewhat analogous to BT keyboards, buggy and unreliable when first sold, but now ubiquitous and most people couldn't imagine having a wired keyboard. Before you can imagine, BT headphones will be there.

 

[Sefstah]

Great, now we can drain our already poor iPhone battery life even faster! And dont forget to recharge your bt headphones while your at it.

 

[kwikdeth]

Same for both pairs of my Beyerdynamic's. Best damn headphones I ever bought. 5+ years and still going strong.

yup! I have two pairs of DT770s as well, i think those things will still be here long after our species has left this planet! haha

 

[Abazigal]

But wireless headphones are worse than wired. You can prefer wireless, but they are not better than wired....and as a consumer you need to understand this fact, this is a step backwards, irespective what gimmick features are added

What's your definition of "better"?

For me, it could simply be something as elementary as "no wires", as the convenience of that may well be worth other hassles such as having to charge it ever so often, supposedly worse sound quality etc. I have a pair of Jabra Move Bluetooth headphones and I find the sound quality is good enough for me that I am largely indifferent to further improvements in sound, and don't mind sacrificing that for other perks.

As a consumer, it is my right to buy what I feel best suits my needs. If Bluetooth headphones meet my needs better than wired headphones, then Bluetooth headphones are better (for me). At the end of the day, not all pros and cons are created equal, nor do consumers value them evenly.

 

[Porco]

No, the article just states the fact that BT is fast growing and has already taken over in terms of revenue. With BT 4.1 and 4.2 and soon BT 5, today's near 20% will soon be the majority. Somewhat analogous to BT keyboards, buggy and unreliable when first sold, but now ubiquitous and most people couldn't imagine having a wired keyboard. Before you can imagine, BT headphones will be there.

Wireless keyboards are a great analogy. Personally I don't get the attraction of them any more than wireless headphones, except they look a bit nicer without the cable. But a wired keyboard draws power when it needs to and you don't have to think about changing batteries.

I have also gone back to a wired mouse for the same reasons. As nice as they look I don't really care about having a cable coming from it so that I never have to think about the batteries.

I'm sure one day wireless headphones/keyboards/mice will all last so long it won't matter to me, but I guess I grew up using the wired versions and just haven't been convinced the wireless alternatives are enough of a benefit to deal with the downsides yet. But options are good. Does Apple even still let you choose a wired keyboard when you buy a desktop mac *checks* ... oh yes, they do. For now! Wired mouse option too! That's good to know.

 

[ENduro]

It's a preemptive apologist-post!

 

[FelixDerKater]

My 20 year old headphones are just finally broken in for a beautiful sound...

 

[Mindbomb2000]

I received a free pair of wireless Beats (they also convert to wired) with an iMac purchase, and am absolutely loving the wireless experience. I can walk around my apartment without my phone in my hand, or watch to loud movies late at night on the appleTV without a long cord stretching across the room. I can even get up to get a snack without pausing during dialogue scenes. I find myself listening to more music because of the convenience. Yes, charging them once or twice a week is an added step, but one I'm willing to work with.

That being said, I'm totally fine with the loss of the headphone jack on the iPhone and pushing wireless tech, but at this point, I think Apple would be wise to not remove it on laptops and PCs for the simple fact that many (myself included) use those devices to mix audio and their is a tiny, but noticeable lag with bluetooth.

 

[FelixDerKater]

 

[psylence2k]

Bluetooth audio quality in general right now leaves alot to be desired. Also range and lag.

I always see bluetooth head phones with apt-x but from what I'm hearing IOS still doesn't support this ?

Is the sound quality that much better with apt-x capable devices ?

 

[Exhale]

Hey I have a question someone here could probably answer. I hear that Bluetooth headphones have some lag. Is that a problem with current headphone models?

Its inherent to the spec - and is actually set by the Source device; your iPhone/Mac.

This delay is caused by the packet buffer - a buffer which is needed because bluetooth (and wi-fi) cannot guarantee that a packet transmission can occur within a short timeframe. When a packet gets delayed (and this happens constantly), if there was no buffer the audio with glitch out immediately. With a buffer, it takes multiple delays and missed packets before audio quality is actually affected. Understand however that even with this buffer, these audio glitches will occur from time to time - especially when moving (because transmissions will be interfered/jammed by stations it was not aware existed a second earlier).

These are not 'fixable' issues; and are inherent to all forms of wireless networks. Nevertheless, Hardware IO Tools for Xcode includes an utility called "Bluetooth Explorer" that can configure this buffer.

I always see bluetooth head phones with apt-x but from what I'm hearing IOS still doesn't support this ?

Apt-X is supported by Mac OSX, but it is not supported by iOS. Only Android and Windows Phone has that support amongst portable devices. (Though this is also device dependant)
The reason is that there is a license fee to use Apt-X. So you won't find it on cheap devices.

 

[gim]

Statistics please.

If you are just going by personal experience and anecdotal evidence then I have headphones from over 20 years ago that are still in perfect working order and have been thrown around, stuffed in bags and unplugged and plugged in more times than I know. The drawer full of multiple other earbuds I have collected over the decades have never failed either.

Contrast that with the 5 or 6 pairs of BT earbuds I have tried over the past few years. I started using them years ago for workouts and like any device with additional electronics and circuitry they are far more prone to failure than something without. Over time using BT headphones I've encountered random range disconnects, background noise over the connection, pairing issues, charge port failure, random earpiece failure and sweat destroying batteries.

Wired cable failure (and even that isn't an issue with detachable cables) and possibly a loose wire to a driver doesn't stack up against the failure potential of BT headphones in any way. And that doesn't even take into account the fact that wired headphones never need charging and will not die on you as a matter of course if you come back from a run and are too tired to remember to charge them before the next day.

Try google if you need statistics, since you do not have any to back up your argument either.

I cannot believe that we are having this discussion.
The circuitry in wireless headphones is more prone to failure than a cable that is being twisted and entangled every day?Are you serious about that?
It is a certainty that a copper cable will break if you use it every day without being overly cautious. It is a result of the wear that every cable has to endure, just because you have to plug it in somewhere and put it in your ears / on your head in order to use it.
Electronics and circuitry simply do not fail because of physical wear.
I'd really like to know about which brands/models of wireless headphones you are talking, that are apparently so vulnerable...

I mean you could always argue that the battery in wireless headphones will absolutely die after some years of heavy use, that's also a certainty. But like I said, the good wireless ones can be used passively with a cable (that is obviously detachable).

 

[jujufreeze]

What's your definition of "better"?

For me, it could simply be something as elementary as "no wires", as the convenience of that may well be worth other hassles such as having to charge it ever so often, supposedly worse sound quality etc. I have a pair of Jabra Move Bluetooth headphones and I find the sound quality is good enough for me that I am largely indifferent to further improvements in sound, and don't mind sacrificing that for other perks.

As a consumer, it is my right to buy what I feel best suits my needs. If Bluetooth headphones meet my needs better than wired headphones, then Bluetooth headphones are better (for me). At the end of the day, not all pros and cons are created equal, nor do consumers value them evenly.

We hav Bluetooth now. Why remove 3.5mm Jack and convenience of 1 less electronic to recharge or make us keep track of multiple headphones for different devices or force us to carry clunky adapter everywhere we go? it is to "make waterproof" though Sony and others do this now with 3.5mm Jack?

 

[jonnysods]

I don't want to have to replace my Bose QC15'S. I wish I could buy an adapter that made them Bluetooth compatible...

 

[B4U]

Weak argument.
Wired headphones fail all the time because the cable breaks, and not all cables are replaceable. A decent pair of wireless headphones, on the other hand, will work until the battery dies completely, which takes years.

Meanwhile the BT connection is constantly dropping even though the headphone is not technically broken...

 

[sw1tcher]

The overall headphone category saw seven percent year-over-year growth in pure dollar sales during the first half of 2016, but Bluetooth headphones saw double-digit growth during the same time period. A solid cost decrease helped spur Bluetooth headphone sales, with average selling prices down 5 percent. Nearly 30 percent of Bluetooth headphones sold during 1H 2016 were less than or equal to $50.

I wonder how much Apples summer Back to School promo, where they're giving away a free Powerbeats2 wireless headphone, helped.

 

[firewood]

"54 percent of headphone dollar sales and 17 percent of unit sales in the United States"

More money from smaller market share. Very Apple. Makes logical sense, just a shame it's so anti-consumer.

Quite the opposite. If there are vast numbers of consumers who want a higher quality or more fashionable product enough to be willing to pay extra (even above those product's higher manufacturing and marketing costs), it's very pro consumer for someone to provide that service.

 

[Vege-Taco]

I'm thoroughly enjoying my Bose noise-cancelling BT headphones. I can ignore people trying to talk to me at work so much easier now.

 

[falainber]

These data covers only head phones sold separately. Most people simply use headphones (earbuds) that come with the phone. If we count those the share of BT headphones will probably be close to 0%.

 

[AppleScruff1]

So everyone that bought Bluetooth headphones did so because Apple is rumored to be removing the headphone jack on the iPhone 7? Wow!