Why Apple's AirPods Are So Popular

Hey guys, it's Greg with Apple Explained, and today we'll explore why Apple AirPods are so

popular

. Now you might be thinking, well, that's not that hard to understand, Apple made a quality product, so more customers are inclined to buy it. And that's part of the reason, but there's actually more to the story. And that's what we'll explore in this video. This video topic was the first place winner in last week's voting poll, and if you weren't able to vote, make sure you're subscribed. That way, the polls will appear directly in your mobile activity feed and you can tell me which video you would like to see next.

Now I want to start by sharing the story that prompted me to explore this topic in more detail. And it all started when I visited the Apple Store during the holiday season to buy some AirPods as a gift, but when I asked an associate about them, she told me that they probably didn't have any since the AirPods had been out of stock for weeks. But she went ahead and checked the warehouse just in case. Then a woman came into the store and also asked to buy some AirPods. They told her they were probably sold out, but she pointed me in my direction anyway.

Now I was curious as to why Apple was struggling to keep AirPods in stock, considering they had been on the market for about two years. But I assumed it was because of the Christmas demand and didn't think much more about it. That was until I started talking to the woman behind me. I found out that she was buying some AirPods for her daughter, but the thing was, her daughter hadn't actually ordered them. Her mother said, “I figured what kid today wouldn't want AirPods for Christmas.” And hearing her say this really took me by surprise. Because that meant that this middle-aged mother not only knew what AirPods are, but she also knew that they were a desirable product, especially among young people.

And considering that Apple only ran a brief advertising campaign for AirPods in early 2017, I was struggling to understand why they suddenly seemed to be as

popular

as the iPod nano in its prime. So when I got home I did some research to try and figure this out. And I discovered something pretty incredible. Search interest in AirPods reached an all-time high in November and December 2018, generating more hype and excitement than when they were revealed in September 2016, and bringing more attention to AirPods than when Apple ran an ad campaign in January 2017. . Then how? Did this happen in the world?

What made so many people on the Internet more interested in AirPods than ever? Well, this is where the story gets good. Because starting in November, AirPod memes started going viral. And from there things only grew like a snowball. There were memes about AirPod users doing push-ups on social media, memes about AirPods being a status symbol, and memes about AirPods causing car accidents. Now, these viral memes about AirPods reached a fever pitch in December, which just so happened to arrive just in time for the holidays. That's what triggered unexpected demand for AirPods and caused a global shortage.

Which makes the product even harder to find than when they debuted in 2016. But what makes this story even more fascinating is that AirPods had become a meme before. You see, when they were first introduced in September 2016, AirPods were the laughing stock of the internet. They were mocked for their awkward design and high price, and there was no shortage of memes to express the internet's feelings toward AirPods. They were also criticized for being easy to lose and expensive to replace. So judging by these reviews, it seemed like the AirPods weren't going to be a popular product for Apple.

But as with most Apple product announcements, the internet spoke too soon because the AirPods wouldn't even be released until 3 months later, giving people plenty of time to judge the product without using it themselves. But I should mention that there were some sensible responses to the introduction of the AirPod from people who were familiar with wireless headphone technology and were excited to finally have a reliable, truly wireless Apple headphone. Let me explain in more detail how both parties felt about AirPods. Because people who thought AirPods were a joke actually made some legitimate arguments. First, they pointed out that for the $160 price of the AirPods, you could buy a pair of wired headphones with much better sound quality, which was true.

They also noted that the AirPod's 5-hour battery life could be inconvenient, especially compared to wired headphones that don't even require batteries. It also meant that AirPods would be just one more thing you'd have to charge every night. For those reasons, I can understand why AirPods may not appeal to all users. On the other hand, it would be irresponsible to focus on a product's commitments without considering its legitimate benefits. Because for decades, people have dreamed of truly wireless headphones that would free you from all the headaches that a cable causes. And developing all the technologies necessary to make it a reality was a big challenge for Apple.

The battery technology had to be good enough to offer enough battery life while still being small enough to fit inside a headset. But Apple also needed an advanced, low-power wireless chipset to maintain a reliable wireless connection between the headphones and the device. But what really matters is not all this technology but the experience it offers. And AirPods, without a doubt, offer the smoothest, most reliable and magical experience in the entire wireless headphone market. And it all starts with the charging case that pairs AirPods to your iPhone with a single touch. There's no need to turn on discoverable mode or dig into Bluetooth settings to connect AirPods manually.

I should also mention that the headphones sync with each other automatically, a feature that I think Apple doesn't get enough credit for. The charging case is also magnetized, so inserting the earbuds is effortless and the lid closes with a satisfying snap. And when the headphones are inside their case, they are also charging. It gives you three hours of battery life on a 15-minute charge, something unheard of before AirPods. But the most life-changing feature is the fact that they are truly wireless. Now what do I mean by that? Well, before AirPods, there were wireless earbuds, but they had a wired connection between each earbud, which meant they weren't “truly” wireless.

And the reason is that making two headphones that would wirelessly sync with each other and wirelessly connect a device required very advanced technology and efficient power management. Because, as you can imagine, there isn't much room for a large battery inside a headset. And while some tech companies tried to release truly wireless earbuds, they ran into reliability issues and poor battery life. So when Apple launched the AirPods, it finally gave users the listening experience they were hoping for with the benefit of not being tied down by a cable. And that was not only extremely liberating, but also offered infinite benefits.

Things like exercising with your iPhone on the floor without cables in your way, walking away from your computer without having to take off your headphones, and not having to untangle the headphone cable every time you want to use them. All of these conveniences created a new type of headphone experience that made it almost impossible to go back to using wired headphones. That's why I think for many people, the compromises that come with owning wireless headphones are well worth the benefits they offer. That's probably why Apple had trouble keeping AirPods in stock when they were first released in December 2016, and again in late 2018, when they went viral on the internet.

Because even though the AirPods essentially received free publicity through popular memes, it wouldn't actually have had a positive effect on sales if the AirPods were a bad product. So I think that's the real reason AirPods are so popular. They are considered by many to be the best product Apple has released since the original iPhone, and like the iPhone, the competition is taking a while to catch up. Because it turns out that making true wireless earbuds is very challenging and very expensive. That's why many of them are priced higher than AirPods. And just as the iPhone had its share of imitators in 2008, many manufacturers today are making AirPods knockoffs, trying to capitalize on their high demand and Apple's recent inability to keep them in stock.

Now that AirPods have been so successful, it seems that Apple is interested in expanding its presence in the audio market. Because just six months after the launch of the AirPods, Apple presented its smart speaker called HomePod. But it didn't experience the same level of success as the AirPods, and this has led to rumors that Apple could create a more affordable version of the HomePod to compete more directly with the Amazon Echo and Google Home. But I don't think Apple will enjoy most of its audio success in the speaker market. Because AirPods are where the magic is, and it is worth mentioning that they are a first generation product.

Apple is likely to announce an updated version in the near future and rumors suggest that the new model will be equipped with health-focused features. The headphones could include biometric sensors to track physical activity data and could even be waterproof with noise cancellation technology. But what I'd really like to see are touch controls similar to the new Apple Pencil that could track gestures and allow users to adjust volume without using Siri. Apple could even expand its headphone product line to include wireless in-ear and over-ear headphones. That means we're just starting to see what Apple is capable of in the wireless headphone market and I'm excited to see what other products and technologies they have available.

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