Apple Wireless headphones

iPhone Bluetooth Headset

The iPhone Bluetooth Headset was introduced in 2007 priced at $129 and later reduced to $99. It was discontinued in 2009. It was designed for phone calls only and could not be used for listening to music. The integration included showing an icon for the headset and its battery level. It was bundled with a “Travel Cable” that charged it and a 30-pin iPhone simultaneously, and a docking station called the iPhone Dual Dock that could charge it and an original iPhone was also available.

iPhone Bluetooth Headset

AirPods

Main article: AirPods

Apple AirPods and case

Apple AirPods and case
AirPods were announced alongside the iPhone 7 and were released on December 16, 2016. They are wireless earbud-style headphones with microphones, dual accelerometers, IR sensors used to pause music if they are not in the user’s ears, and motion touch sensors that are used to activate controls. They are advertised as having a battery life of five hours, and come with a charging case that gives them a total of 24 hours of battery life. The original case is charged by Lightning, and in 2019 a second case was introduced with Qi charging. AirPods are compatible with iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, Macs, the 6th generation iPod Touch, and the 7th generation iPod Nano, but automatic pairing with an iCloud account requires macOS Sierra, iOS 10, and watchOS. They are also compatible with devices on other platforms that support Bluetooth, but it limits the AirPods’ functionality.

On September 9, 2024, following the announcement of the fourth-generation AirPods, an all-new advanced hearing aid features for AirPods Pro 2 and the updated AirPods Max with USB-C port, all the devices of the AirPods product line have been transitioned from the proprietary Lightning port to the universal USB-C port, making both the second-generation AirPods, third-generation AirPods and the original AirPods Max with Lightning port discontinued.

AirPods Pro

Main article: AirPods Pro
AirPods Pro were released on October 30, 2019 as a premium option compared to AirPods. They feature the same H1 chip found on the second-generation AirPods, and boast a slimmer design, control by pressing the force sensor on the stems instead of double tapping on the ear pieces, active noise cancellation, adaptive EQ, IPX4 water resistance, a new charging case with Qi standard, and include silicone tips.

On September 23, 2022, the AirPods Pro 2 was released. They feature the H2 chip, added swiping control for adjusting the volume, major improvement on the active noise cancellation, an increased battery life, the U1 chip that supports Find My tracking, built-in speaker for locating and status updates, added compatibility with the Apple Watch charger (in addition to the Qi standard wireless charging and wired Lightning connector charging), lanyard loop added to the side of the charging case and added extra-small silicone tip size (in addition to large, medium and small silicon tip sizes).

On September 22, 2023, alongside the launch of the iPhone 15 models and iPhone 15 Pro models, the updated AirPods Pro 2 features the improved IP54 dust resistance, added the support for lossless audio with the Apple Vision Pro, and a charging case with USB-C port instead of a Lightning port.

On September 9, 2024, following the announcement of the fourth-generation AirPods and the updated AirPods Max with USB-C port, Apple announced the all-new advanced hearing health features for the AirPods Pro 2.

AirPods Max

Main article: AirPods Max
AirPods Max, released on December 15, 2020, are wireless Bluetooth over-ear headphones. They feature two H1 chips, active noise cancellation and transparency mode, a Digital Crown and on-head detection.

On September 9, 2024, the updated AirPods Max have been transitioned from the proprietary Lightning port to the universal USB-C port.

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Cultural impact

On announcement day, AirPods were compared to Apple’s previously existing EarPods (2012–present), with The Verge noting “They look… just like the old EarPods, with the wires cut off.” Initially mocked by many for their unfamiliar design (including CNN asking “Would people actually wear these?” in 2016), their popularity grew rapidly over the years and they were voted the most popular “hearable” brand of 2019.

At an Apple earnings call in 2019, CEO Tim Cook called AirPods “nothing less than a cultural phenomenon”. AirPods had become a viral sensation with memes circulating across the internet about its appearance and its relation to the removal of the headphone jack in iPhones. However, as time wore on, AirPods became known as a status symbol.

Criticism

AirPods have been criticized for their high price; however, at launch they were actually priced less than most “true wireless” earbuds on the market (e.g. the Samsung Gear IconX and Bragi Dash) and remain competitively priced with similar products from other major brands.

Since AirPods can easily be worn for long periods of time, AirPods have also had an effect on how people interact with each other. Having earphones in is generally perceived as a “do not disturb” signal, and some AirPods users use this fact to strategically avoid awkward small talk. But in the collaborative workplace, constant use of AirPods has sometimes been interpreted as a sign of disrespect to co-workers, causing conflict in the office.

Another prominent criticism was a problem that caused the charging case battery to deplete at a rapid rate despite the AirPods not being used. Users were reporting upwards of 30% idle discharge per day. In response, Apple released a firmware update (version 3.5.1) for the AirPods, which addressed connectivity and battery drain problems. Students and college professors from the George Washington University have commented that AirPods have decreased students’ daily social interactions.

According to the Financial Times, AirPods are difficult if not impossible to recycle, and not designed to be repairable.

Replacement for hearing aids

In 2022, researchers at the Taipei Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan compared the performance of AirPods 2 and the original AirPods Pro using Live Listen on an iPhone or iPad to compare to medical hearing aids. Oticon Opn 1 was the high-end comparison, with Bernafon MD1 as the more affordable alternative. The performance of the systems was at least assisting participants with Pro (including noise canceling features) being better and approximating the hearing aids.

Competition

Some consumers expressed the viewpoint that there were better options for wireless earphones based on quality and cost. One of Apple’s biggest competitors is Samsung, which markets wireless earbuds that are very similar to AirPods. Another similar product line is from Apple’s Beats Electronics, which sells products such as the Powerbeats Pro wireless earbuds.