History of Apple Headphones

Apple has always been known for its popular core products like the Mac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, but most people are not familiar with the historical significance of its accessories. Take Apple's

headphones

, which started out as one of many items included with the original iPod, but quickly became an iconic symbol that everyone associated with Apple. And today, the company dominates the headphone market with its popular AirPods. So in this video we'll explore the

history

of Apple

headphones

and discover how they went from being a bundled accessory for the iPod to becoming one of Apple's best-selling products.

I'm Greg with Apple Explained and I want to thank ESR for sponsoring this video. If you want to help decide what topics I cover, make sure you're subscribed and voting polls like this will appear in your mobile activity feed. Now let's start from the beginning, from the first time Apple created its own headphones in 2001 for the original iPod. Back then, the headphone market was very different from today. Headphones weren't that popular and there wasn't much variety when it came to colors and styles of headphones. In fact, almost every CD, Walkman, and MP3 player before the iPod came with a pair of over-ear headphones with a black cable.

No company had ever given much thought to deviating from the status quo. But, as usual, Apple thought more. And they faced a brand challenge. How could the iPod be identified in public if the device was always hidden in users' pockets? After all, the company had never made a mobile device before. They had a

history

of selling desktop and laptop computers that always had the Apple logo in full screen while in use. But that wouldn't be the case for a pocket-sized mobile device like the iPod. So how did Apple overcome this problem? Well, they made sure the iPod headphones were instantly recognizable by making them white.

But that wasn't all, Apple also made the deliberate decision to include headphones with the original iPod instead of traditional over-ear headphones, as they were not only smaller and fit easily in the user's pockets, but also because they didn't mess up the hair. of the users. And to make sure people associated the white headphones with the iPod, Apple launched this iconic ad campaign that literally highlighted the white headphones, cable, and iPod against a black silhouette. These efforts by Apple to differentiate the iPod from other MP3 players on the market paid off in a big way. The product quickly became a household name and reached an even greater level of popularity with the iPod mini in 2004.

One might now assume that since the iPod mini was offered in different colors, its headphones would come in matching colors. But that was not the case. Apple continued to include the same pair of white headphones to capitalize on the brand association they had established with the original iPod. But what the company did do was decide to offer a pair of premium headphones that could be purchased separately for $40. They were called iPod in-ear headphones and featured three different sized plastic ear tips along with improved sound quality and bass response. This was the first time Apple sold a pair of headphones independent of the iPod and marked the company's entry into the headphone market.

Now, Apple's entry into the headphone business has also created opportunities for third-party accessory companies. It may seem strange that accessories are sold for an Apple accessory, but it is actually becoming a rapidly growing industry as these products are quite useful. For example, I dropped my first pair of AirPods in the middle of a parking lot on the sidewalk and the charging case was completely destroyed. That's when I discovered the usefulness of a case for my AirPods Pro like these from ESR. They are actually very affordable and prevent your keys from scratching the charging case in your pocket or dropping it.

Plus, the material has a much better grip than the shiny plastic of the AirPods Pro, so they don't slip out of your pocket. The cases are slim so they don't add much bulk and still allow wireless charging to work. So if you're interested in purchasing one of these cases to protect your $250 AirPods Pro, simply click the link in the description and use the code APPLEEXP10 before February 29 for an extra 10% off. Okay, now in 2007, Apple completely revamped the design of its included earbuds, integrating the speaker stem and cone more seamlessly and lengthening the rubber strain relief to reduce wear.

Now that the new headphones are included with the iPhone, many features have been added to make them more phone-friendly. For example, Apple included an inline remote and microphone so iPhone users could control music, calls, presentations, video playback, and activate Siri without having to reach into their pocket. Now with the launch of the iPhone, many thought that Apple might take the opportunity to include black headphones for the first time. Especially considering that the iPhone was only offered in black, compared to the original white iPod. But Apple's black headphones never appeared, and the company stuck to the same old white label strategy.

Now, in 2008, Apple introduced a new version of its premium in-ear headphones. They featured an in-line remote control and microphone, new silicone eartips instead of plastic, and adopted a dual-driver speaker design. With a woofer and tweeter built into each earcup for what Apple called "superior acoustic precision, balance, and clarity." They sold for double the price of the previous model at $80. The next small change Apple made to its signature headphones came two years later in 2009 with the release of the iPhone 3GS. The company added two buttons to adjust the volume in addition to the main center button and microphone.

Now I should mention that these headphones were not only included with the iPhone 3GS, 4, 4s and the third generation iPod touch, but they were also sold separately. Which had only been the case with Apple's most expensive in-ear headphones. At this point, Apple's headphone sales were modest. People could buy a pair to replace their old, worn-out iPod headphones, or maybe, if you were a big Apple fan, you could opt for their $80 in-ear headphones. But either way, Apple was not considered a major player in the headphone market. That space was occupied by companies like Sony, Sennheiser, Bose and others.

But starting in 2012, all that began to change. And it is thanks to the introduction of EarPods. You see, Apple had never put much engineering effort into trying to make the included headphones sound and fit as best as possible. That's why there were always complaints that the iPod's headphones sounded thin and tinny, as well as causing discomfort after long periods of use. But with EarPods, Apple spent three years of research and development trying to solve those problems. Three-dimensionally scanning hundreds of ears to try to find something in common that would inform the design of the EarPods, ensuring a comfortable and comfortable fit for as many users as possible.

And to achieve the highest level of sound quality, Apple completely changed the design of the speaker grill. Changing from a large circular opening in the center of the earpiece to a much smaller oval opening on the side of the earpiece. This new design directed sound directly into the ear canal, minimizing leakage and maximizing clarity. Apple also included small openings in each earbud to tune the mid frequencies, providing a consistent listening experience, reducing air pressure, and delivering powerful bass. Not to mention, the EarPods were more durable as they had an all-plastic design, which was an improvement over the gray rubber on previous earbuds that had a tendency to wear down over time.

All of these improvements resulted in Apple's best pair of bundled headphones yet. Now the EarPods were not only included with the iPhone 5, iPod touch, and iPod nano, but they were also sold separately for $30, making them the perfect birthday gift or Christmas present. Sales of the EarPods ended up exceeding even Apple's expectations and were sold out in most retail stores within the first month of release. Now, although it has been almost eight years since the introduction of EarPods, they are still selling. You can buy them with a 3.5mm headphone jack or a Lightning connector, and the design of the EarPods served as the basis for what would become the most popular pair of Apple headphones in history: the AirPods.

Now, AirPods were introduced alongside the iPhone 7 in 2016 and were the first pair of truly wireless earbuds released by a major company. We'd seen, quote-unquote, wireless earbuds before, but they had a cable connecting the two earbuds and often suffered from serious compromises like size, weight, connectivity issues, and battery life. But AirPods represented a breakthrough in wireless headphone technology, as each earbud works independently of the other, maintains a compact form factor, connects to devices simply and easily, and achieves a five-hour battery life. . But many people didn't see the AirPods this way when they were first announced. In fact, most people were resentful that Apple removed the headphone jack from the iPhone 7 and felt that the company was simply pressuring customers into buying an expensive pair of wireless headphones.

And while there may be some validity to this claim, it's also worth noting that Apple included an adapter with the iPhone 7 so people could still use their existing headphones. But the complaints went further. Many felt that the $160 AirPods' price was outrageous, especially considering their sound quality was only marginally better than Apple's $30 EarPods. Additionally, the design of the AirPods was mocked, and memes quickly appeared online comparing the earbuds to toothbrush heads and the charging case to a package of dental floss. But, as always, the Internet's opinion of Apple was wrong. The AirPods became a huge hit and were regularly sold out at Apple stores across the country even three months after their release.

Now Apple finally updated the AirPods in early 2019, adding "hey Siri" support, an optional wireless charging case, a new H1 chip, 50% longer talk time, and twice as fast device switching. But there were no changes to the design of the AirPods, which was a popular request among users. Many people asked Apple for black AirPods, as well as a new in-ear design. But Apple would only fulfill one of those requests at the end of 2019 with the AirPods Pro, rumors were circulating before its launch as there were quite a few leaks before its launch, and one of the most popular rumors was that the AirPods Pro will be offered in black .

But just like in the past, Apple decided to keep its signature glossy white plastic design, which had been associated with the company for over a decade. Now, the AirPods Pro introduced many great features, such as a smaller internal design with silicone ear tips, active noise cancellation, transparency mode, better sound quality, IPX4 water resistance, and a force sensor to control music and change between listening modes. Now, the AirPods Pro did not replace the standard AirPods, they were simply sold as a high-end model priced at $250. But like the original AirPods, the Pro model also sold very well and caused Apple to double its monthly production of the product.

Now, thanks to the unprecedented success of AirPods, Apple has become one of the biggest players in the headphone market in just a couple of years. It remains to be seen how big its headphone line will grow, but Apple will certainly be one of the main competitors in the coming years. Alright guys, thanks for watching and I'll see you next time.