The white-stemmed, alien-like, pea shooter-looking earbud device has become a popular accessory, almost like jewelry. I mean, they are everywhere; just look at people’s ears in the hallway, at lunch, in class, or on the bus ride home. You are bound to see at least one pair of these.
They are popular for good reasons, of course. In a hard-to-beat complex of convenience, quality, and listening experience, it’s no wonder everyone and their mom has a pair of these earbuds.
AirPods came after the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus announcement at Apple’s September 2016 keynote event. Because of the 3.5mm-jack-less design of the iPhone, citing “courage” as their motive for its removal, standard earbuds would now have to be used with an adapter.
Though wireless headphones have already existed before and through 2016, for example, the Powerbeats³ and the Onkyo W800BT, what makes Airpods unique is an actual wireless earphone system with features like high-quality sound, excellent battery life, and automatic setup.
“AirPods are the first headphones to deliver a breakthrough wireless audio experience,” Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing said in a 2016 press release. “AirPods are simple and magical to use.”
Over the years, Apple has released updated versions of the AirPods with Generation 2 in March of 2019 with Siri features, the release of AirPods Pro in October of 2019 with active noise canceling and a ‘Transparency Mode,’ and the AirPods Max in December 2020, which are over-the-head headphones, with the jaw-dropping price of $549, recently got a product refresh September 2024.
In October 2021, AirPods Generation 3 was released, which included a refresh of the original Airpod design to adopt the design of the ‘Pro’ model, only without the ear tips; the release of the AirPods Pro 2 in September 2022, which saw a new processing chip, improved ANC and listening features, and the Generation 4 of AirPods in September of 2024 with a slightly pricier version offering active noise cancellation.
One of the best aspects of AirPods is their compact form factor because of the slim charging case, which charges the headphones, but it’s also where they live. Even something as simple as an oversight of the case design can change the experience, but Apple has mastered its design. The case disappears in a pocket, making it a dream to travel and take anywhere with you.
Even the earbuds are designed to be comfortable to wear for hours during long study sessions or for those late-night Facetime calls; they basically disappear in your head.
For their small size, the AirPods still offer great sound. They produce a clean and balanced listening experience with crisp highs, generous mid-tones, and a responsive bass response. For example, look at the AirPods Pro 2 frequency sound chart; the graph stretches across the entire frequency range, showing the wide sound profile.
Any earbuds the size of AirPods tend to struggle at creating a broad enough ‘soundstage,’ the 3D effect of audio, but the AirPods have a respectable soundstage. On the Pro level of the AirPods, Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency Modes add another level to the listening experience where a user can block out noise or let it in.
Wade Nixon runs DankPods, a YouTube account with over 1.7 million subscribers, where he reviews various types of audio technologies. In 2022, he reviewed the AirPods Pro Generation 2, where he highlights the changes from the previous generation of the devices. Nixon describes that the AirPods Pro 2 can block a significant amount of noise, comparing them to earplugs.
“One of my favorite things to use these things for is just socially acceptable earplugs,” Nixon stated. “With no music playing, I could be going for a walk, but in suburbia, it could be loud and noisy, and just to pop these in and just walk around in peace…it’s amazing.”
In 2024, AirPods made Apple over $18 billion in revenue, surpassing the revenues of Spotify and Nintendo.
Their dominance of the wireless earbud market is so strong that counterfeit versions flood the market, and competitors mimic their design. The recently released Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Wireless design reads similar to the AirPods, from the earbuds themselves to the charging case.
AirPods may not be the best audiophile-level headphones, but with usability in a carefully delivered product packed with convenience, solid audio, and innovative features, there’s no question that AirPods are as popular as they are. AirPods continue to lead the way in the Bluetooth listening experience.
