Gene Munster Predicts Apple Will Eventually Earn More From AirPods Than Apple Watch

[tazinlwfl]

If only I could find them to buy...

Signed up for this (suggested by another MR member), and about an hour later had mine ordered from Best Buy.

https://airpods.isinstock.com/locations
and
https://www.isinstock.com/apple/airpods
(I think the second one actually notified me, it's their newer service)

 

[bodonnell202]

Well I can't say as I'll be spending $159 on a product that will fall out of my ear and get lost the first time I use them, but the shape of them seems to work for most people's ears. Perhaps Apple will eventually make different shapes/versions of the AirPods.

 

[tazinlwfl]

Perhaps Apple will eventually make different shapes/versions of the AirPods.

I think they're okay with products like these existing for a while: http://a.co/a9tL597

 

[bodonnell202]

Same here. Airpods are extremely comfortable that sometime I forget I'm wearing them. I wonder people say they don't fit are just trolling.

Nah, maybe some people are trolling, but truthfully not all ears are created equally. While they probably do fit most people, for people like me they just fall right out.

 

[shaunp]

It's perception. The wires are normal and people have seen them for decades. The wireless ones, IMO, absolutely look ridiculous to me. COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS. Maybe not ****ty but ughhh. Honestly, I think it may mostly have to do with coloring.

I get people not liking cables, and do see the appeal of wireless headphones. These airpods though just look like mini sanitary products placed in your ear. They look awful! I don't know what your mates are like, but if I wore these pretty much everyone I knew would call me a **** - actually they call me that without these headphones, but that's another story. They might work in California, but in the real world they really don't look cool.

 

[bodonnell202]

I think they're okay with products like these existing for a while: http://a.co/a9tL597

True. I'd never really done any research into what it would take to make AirPods work for me since I already have another set of bluetooth headphones that do work for me. If I did I'd probably be better off with something like this though:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019BU38N0?psc=1

 

[shaunp]

Right, these make you look like a "t**t".

How are people so turned off by something that is the exact same look, minus the wire?

Because in white, they look like mini tampons without the wire.

 

[bobenhaus]

I have AirPods and they are awesome. But to go against what Munster is saying, the AirPods have encouraged me more than anything else to get an Apple Watch. I've had/am having a tough time waiting for series 3 this fall, but I'll be one of the first to preorder.

encouraged you or pulled or leg that is the question?? *Wink Wink*

 

[shaunp]

However the plural to anecdote is not data.

"If I don't see it around me, it doesn't exist?" It would appear that over $2 billion of "other" sales (of which AirPods are much of that) would say differently.

You are seriously saying a big proportion of the $2 billion 'other' sales is airpods? No way. Even a quarter of this figure would be over 3 million units. I travel all over the UK, mostly on public transport and haven't seen a single pair in the wild. Either they I've been 'unlucky' and not seen any, they aren't available in the UK yet or Apple just aren't selling as many of them as you think. My money is on the latter.

 

[shaunp]

Five years ago people were embarrassed to have their iPads out in public:
Does anyone else feel like a douche using their iPad?

True, I don't see the same thing with this product however. Certainly not in it's current form. Apple will probably make a subtle change and then they will become popular. At the minute most people in the UK would just take the piss.
[doublepost=1498603116][/doublepost]

Interesting report from London. They are all over the place in NYC. At first I noticed one or two but now it seems that quite a few people have them.

I've heard it's an availability thing which is why we don't see them. However while you might get away with wearing them in London (with a few sniggers here and there), outside of London people would openly make fun of you and any techies would rip you to bits - you paid how much for two little headphones which you are going to lose and you have to charge them up how often? Why didn't you just get the old ones with the cable? etc, etc, etc.

Wireless headphones will probably become the norm for mobile devices, but I don't think this is the product to do it.

 

[paul4339]

...

Now that I think about it...I think I like the wire that connects both earbuds ..

You may want to take a look at the BeatsX or Powerbeats3. They have the same W1 chip as Airpods, but it has the wire that connects both buds...

plus the BeatsX also has magnets on each bud, so that when you pull them off your ears, and let them rest around your neck, the two ear buds magnetically clip together.

 

[glowplug]

..and every Apple user will have lost 10 pairs of them.

 

[pseudomichael]

Except for the large amount of people that can't wear them because of their uncomfortable design. If they eventually offer different designs, it could be huge.

Apple offers at least 4 different W1-chip enabled headphone designs (BeatsX, etc.). I'd say the fact that one of them has a slightly less universal fit is a fine in the context of all their offerings.

 

[Duane Martin]

Both are products in niche markets. In another word, it really doesn't matter at all which one sells more.

Sure, well, other than the products are making at least 10s of millions of dollars for Apple and quite possibly much more in the future, which is the point of the article. I do wish I could find a "niche" like that.

 

[Seoras]

I'm hoping Apple comes up with something in the eye wear department.
In my youth it wasn't something I'd care about, but now I'm 48 and my eye sight has gone I find I spend all day wearing reading glasses to be able to see the screen I work on, my iPhone, Apple Watch, etc.
I recently saw Vue's smart glasses and thought they'd be a good addition to the Apple product line up.
Don't care about anything too fancy, just easy to use, comfortable with decent sound.

 

[flyinmac]

WHAT?

can't hear you? i've been listening to music my whole life with headphones, and i'm obviously deaf now!


No, this is ludicrous. I recommend you study a little befor making a comment.

The closeness of the audio has very littyle to do with how it affects your hearing. The Volume on the other hand is more important. You can do significant damage to your ears from meters away if the volume is loud enough to do damage. Meanwhile, if you've got headphones in one really low volume, you're not likely to cause any damage.

Damage caused by noise to the ear tends manifest from the cilia in the ear. These cilia "wave" in response to the sound wave as it passes through the inner-ear. If the volume is too loud, these tiny hairs can be bent back for temporary hearing loss (ringing or numbness of sound), and if it happens too frequently and too strong, they can break, and lead to more permanent hearing loss.

Technically it's not the volume. It's the decibels.

You can have something you can barely hear still damage your hearing.

For example, an old buddy of mine was big into bass music. Rap.

He used to build big stereos with huge speakers and try to show off his bass levels.

So one day I challenged him to a deafening bass competition. His $500 stereo against what I could build with $15.

I took a simple car radio (this was the 80's). A small eq booster. And a small preamp graphic equalizer.

I hooked up two old style 8 ohm 6x9 speakers. Adjusted my eq and eq booster. And turned on the radio.

We couldn't hear anything. But we could feel the bass in our ears. The pressure was painful. The pain throbbed to the beat of the music. But we couldn't hear the music. It was too quiet.

20 feet away from the car, it still hurt.

There was no audible sound. Just the painful pulsating of the deep low bass.

So, I won. Lol

I showed him what could be done for much less money, with barely any power (30 watts total) and very small speakers.

His big old woofers and 1000 watt amp came up short.

After that, I helped him retune his stereo to get some deep bass. I returned my stereo back to a pleasant listening environment. And he never put me down for my cheap stereo again. Lol.

 

[pat500000]

Apple will make more money from AirPods than watches because people will keep losing and have to replace them.

 

[LordVic]

Technically it's not the volume. It's the decibels.

And technically correct is the best correct!

 

[EsqCats]

This isn't the wisest thing to come out of Munster for a few reasons. The price of AirPods are likely to drop quicker than the price of the Watch. There are still many more advancements that can be made to the watch to keep its retail cost high, versus the AirPods which will be facing competitive pressure from other BT earphones. While the market for BT earphones is much larger in quantity than smart watches, the combined rrp & sales of Watches will likely outpace the AirPods, conceivably permanently. Especially as the Watch becomes an iPhone replacement over time. (Airpods+ a cellular enabled Watch replace the core "phone" functionality of the iPhone, reducing the iPhone to a cellular iPad mini.)

 

[omihek]

Get a degree in economics, cultivate years of sources and contacts in as many industries as possible. Study years worth of failures and successes of various products and ideas. Most of you people think being an analyst is an easy job. I can't imagine how stressful it must be when people count on your analasys to make buying or selling decisions.

It must be pretty stressful going through all that effort and still being wrong more than half the time. I think I'd rather skip all that and go straight to the job. Anyone can make a random guess sound educated if they try hard enough. Make only 3 guesses a year and people will think you spent the last 4 months gathering data or something. Pure dumb luck will make anyone's guesses right just as much as most of these analysts pretending to know anything about future Apple products.

 

[Recognition]

I love all the ‘I haven’t seen anyone with them London/NYC/Southern hemisphere, therefore no one is buying them’

The world doesn’t revolve around your point of view, get over yourself!

Then again these are the people that are worried a total stranger might ’take the piss’ or think you look like a ****.

The truth is, no one gives a f**k.

If they even notice you’re wearing EarPods, they’ll be like, ‘oh he’s wearing earpods’ then 3 seconds later they’ll be thinking about whatever it was before they happened to glance at you.
3 minutes later they won’t even remember what you look like.

You’re not as important as you think you are, you’re not remarkable,
wear what you want because everybody else really don’t care.

 

[tennisproha]

Cybart said a strong case could have been made for Apple to price AirPods at $249, or even $299.

That's such a ridiculous statement. Does he really think AirPods are worth $299 when the iPhone sells for $750?

In there current incarnation they are priced just right. If they were to include noise cancelling then a case for a higher price point can be made.

 

[akm3]

Except for the large amount of people that can't wear them because of their uncomfortable design. If they eventually offer different designs, it could be huge.

Earpods hurt my ears almost instantly, Airpods don't at all. I guess I'm a lucky one?

 

[tennisproha]

It must be pretty stressful going through all that effort and still being wrong more than half the time. I think I'd rather skip all that and go straight to the job. Anyone can make a random guess sound educated if they try hard enough. Make only 3 guesses a year and people will think you spent the last 4 months gathering data or something. And luck will make anyone's guesses right just as much as most of these analysts guessing on future Apple products.

It's not a guess. It's a highly complicated and sophisticated science. Lucrative as well.

You know the weather forecast is wrong half the time but you're still gonna check the weather. Economics is similar.

 

[Recognition]

..and every Apple user will have lost 10 pairs of them.

how do suggest Apple design them so they don’t get lost?

Maybe,

A head band physically joining both AirPods together, and a tether to your phone so you don’t leave them behind?