AirPods: From Mockery to Status Symbol

Elena Cresci, writing for The Guardian:

Of all the widely ridiculed tech products, Apple’s AirPods have experienced an extraordinary turnaround. Back in 2016, they were roundly mocked by the tech industry. Tiny wireless earbuds? It seemed like a recipe for disaster — streets would be littered with these lost headphones, which would clutter up city pavements like discarded gloves and babies’ socks.

“If only there were an invention that could keep those AirPods tethered together, like a string,” wrote Ashley Esqueda from the tech website CNET on Twitter. “The beauty of the headphone cable is just like the beauty of a tampon string: it is there to help you keep track of a very important item,” wrote Julia Carrie Wong in the Guardian.

I never understood the notion that AirPods look weird. They look exactly like wired earbuds, without the wires. I do get the initial skepticism that they’d fall out and get lost frequently, but somehow Apple designed them not to, and it’s worked.

Turns out they’re one of the best products Apple has ever made. Almost everyone I know who has them loves them.

★ Monday, 11 February 2019