WHY AIRPODS ARE THE BEST?

dhruvtalksstech
Dec 3, 2022
4 min read

Updated: Dec 8, 2022

Convenience and Integration - that's how I would put it. Everyone with an iPhone wants one and is often people's 2nd Apple purchase after the iPhone. AirPods are the best-selling wireless earphones on the planet and are so successful that if AirPods were a separate entity by the name of AirPods Inc, it would be a Fortune 500 company in its own right. AirPods are one of Apple's most successful accessories and are hugely popular among students and professionals. Their high-riding success is a consequence of what Apple did in 2016 when they decided to remove the headphone jack from the iPhone 7.

Apple basically sold the solution (AirPods) to the problem they just created (no headphone jack) 5 minutes back in the keynote. Since people understood that now it was going to be impossible to stream music, watch videos and take calls while the phone is charging, they needed AirPods because they were truly wireless and worked fluidly with iPhone. Apple made it so convincing and incentivized to buy the AirPods that they were honestly an easy sell. What plays an even bigger role are Apple's legendary ads. They are so immersive and just plainly breathtaking. You may not love Apple but there is one thing you cannot deny …. boy, they do know how to turn eyeballs and make an ad.

The AirPods Pro 2 are much better in more ways than people predicted. The sound and ANC is drastically improved even though the pods themselves look identical from the outside. It is often very intriguing to see something so small transform our life. I don't have the AirPods Max but several YouTubers have claimed that the Pro 2's have better ANC and Transparency than those big and expensive over-ear headphones. That is worth applauding if it is true. You see AirPods everywhere around you which is a testimony to their ease of use and universality. Apple's legendary ads have propelled them to the top of the charts and AirPods have been name-dropped in a few songs. That's how popular they are !!!

AirPods work incredibly efficiently with iPhones and other Apple products. Even the pairing process is fun, interactive, and satisfying. You open the case for the first time, they go into pairing mode, they automatically show up on the screen, they bounce about while you go through the pairing process and they are connected for life. Next time, you just need to have Bluetooth on and then they will pair automatically by the time you place them in your areas. This had never been seen or experienced before. The case of AirPods makes a satisfying click whenever you open and close it. All of this is part of the theatrics and shapes your perception of the product before even experiencing it. Contrary to what you would think, Apple actually relishes when memes are made on their products. It acts as free marketing.

People criticize iPhones but what do they go out and buy? The new iPhone. AirPods are not the best sounding, best battery life, best value for money, or best Apple product. AirPods might be the only product in the world that benefits from being the jack of all trades and master of none. It took what people cared about the most - solving the headphone jack problem - and capitalized on it. Since the wireless earphone market was nascent around that time, people trusted Apple and bought AirPods without having second thoughts.

I would describe AirPods Pro as the pinnacle of earphones (not AirPods Max as they are out of reach for most). They introduced ANC and Transparency to tens of millions of people for the first time. They honestly sound great, have decent battery life, and are strikingly recognizable like every Apple product. Although, I do not think that they are worth their MRP. 25K, when launched, is honestly too steep for something that goes in the ear. The price has tapered since then but they still are absurdly expensive for what they offer.

With over 100 million units of AirPods having sold to date, they were certainly a good business proposition for Apple. But what's the bigger picture here is that AirPods were followed by Chinese and local companies alike who made wireless earphones. The technology got cheaper over the years and now you can get wireless earphones even for less than 1500Rs or 20$. With AirPods Pro 2, Apple is set to swallow an even bigger share of the market. They crave and love the hype surrounding their products.

Just a reminder that I always thought that the render shown below was false. I knew Apple would not take the path of removing the stem as that would hamper usability. I am interested to know what you think about the AirPods. Stay tuned for more !!!