It was predicted in 2019 that Apple would sell 50 million AirPods at $159 USD for a pair. In reality, Strategy Analytics reported that Apple sold nearly 60 million, which amounts to almost $10B in revenue nearly 20% more than expected. Expectations for 2020 exceed $15B in revenue, and if this growth continues into 2021, AirPods would be Apple’s third largest business. Apple holds more than half of the market share for wireless earphone sales, followed by Samsung and Xiaomi, each holding less than 10%. It is impossible to know the exact numbers since Apple doesn’t release any individual unit sales, but you can tell just by the number you see while walking around.
Headphones and earphones shape and technology hasn’t changed much since the 1800s, besides getting lighter and more compact. Telephone operators used to have a single earpiece that rested on their shoulders and weighed almost 10 pounds.
Through centuries of optimization and innovation, the AirPods became the most recognizable audio device we see throughout our day and they weigh more than 500 times less! Such a leap from prior innovations to future technologies requires a company commitment. The case of the AirPods is like opening up an engagement ring box with Apple down on one knee asking you to commit to them for a lifetime. With a smaller cost than most of its other products, the AirPods seem like an easy commitment to say, “I Do.”
This leap of faith on Apple’s part paid off. They found their success with the AirPods for a number of reasons but the largest contributing factors were removing the headphone jack from the iPhone 7 (and all successive models). They solved a longstanding problem of tangled and inconvenient wires by designing a delightful experience. They created a design so unique and recognizable so much so that it became a pop culture reference. AirPods added a lower financial entry point into the infamous Apple ecosystem compared to their other products.
It’s impossible to know for sure, but the number of people buying AirPods would not be the same if there was still a headphone jack in our phones. Phil Schiller, Apple’s former VP of Marketing, said that removing the headphone jack “really comes down to one word: courage. The courage to move on, do something new, that betters all of us. And our team has tremendous courage.” Removing the headphone jack was a very controversial move and caused a lot of uproar in the tech consumer industry. Apple made this leap knowing that it would change the way users interacted with their phones guiding them towards a completely wireless experience. They started this movement with the release of the AirPods and continued by releasing iPhones with wireless charging the year after. AirPods allowed the users a seamless transition to music versus the guaranteed entangled mess of wired earbuds. This new generation of products allows the flexibility to not always need to carry the additional cables. The captivating experience didn’t stop there, the sleek design and new tech made you stand out amongst your peers. The new flawless connection features between your iOS devices made them simpler to connect with the satisfaction of flipping open the glossy white box with the sparkling accessory inside.
Compared to their competitors, AirPods are sleek and distinguished. Previously, all truly wireless earbuds tend to look like the bolts in Frankenstein’s monster. Apple leveraged their existing brand and common earbuds to introduce the AirPods. They have one of the most distinctive designs for earbuds and headphones in the market today. The AirPods do not go unnoticed by a passerby. They get recognized immediately as an Apple product and the newest coolest tech gadget out currently.
That thought might be all it takes for someone to go out and buy themselves a pair. Since everyone else seems to own a pair and they are using them, consequently, they must be good. In 1935, Muzafer Sherif, a Turkish-American social psychologist ran an experiment to test whether social factors would influence perception. He found that his test subjects converged on their opinions based on the “social norm” of the people around them. This is a simple psychological principle of technology acceptance and still clearing applies to AirPods. Everyone wants to fit in and follow popular opinion and everything that is trending.
For what seemed like forever, social media platforms were overflowing with memes about AirPods. This was exposure that Apple couldn’t have even expected. This new technology came with a caveat, to take advantage of its full functionality required jumping headfirst into the deep end and saying yes to the commitment that lay inside the glossy white box.
Apple has been known for its “walled garden” ecosystem constructed by creating interconnected features that only work when you own multiple Apple products. Each Apple product is great on its own, but they become stellar only when used together. I too have fallen into this trap. In high school, I fell in love with my MacBook and its OS, and I told myself that I would never go back to a Windows laptop. Then came the ease and grace of using an iPad to write my university lecture notes on. It was merely a matter of time until I entered the world of magical features this ecosystem had to offer. For example, Handoff which is my favourite technology feature of all time. Handoff is where you can copy something on your MacBook and without doing anything special, as if by magic, it knows that you would like to paste it on your iPad.
I still owned an Android phone (which had followed suit and removed the headphone jack) and I was looking into purchasing wireless earphones. Having already tried a few other affordable and subpar earphones, I was ready to take the leap to buying AirPods. Using an Apple product and connecting to an Android phone, the earbuds worked but the experience is far greater when a part of the ecosystem. The AirPods worked only as wireless earbuds when connected to an Android. I was missing out on the best features such as, my music didn’t stop when I took my AirPod out (which is genius!) and I didn’t get the automatic connection when I opened the case and put them in.
Apple is a trailblazer in technology and this won’t stop with the AirPods, they are striving for a completely wireless ecosystem. History has shown that Apple is always working on the next generation and their successors. They have already accomplished and checked off noise cancelation and sweat resistance from their feature upgrade list with the AirPods Pro. Apple has proven that they will never stop improving their “walled garden”.
Apple would not make the Airpods completely unrecognizable or invisible to someone walking down the road. Their logo and signature white accessories are integral to any product they launch. If I were to work on their AirPod design they would include all the current features and work on becoming more discreet and flush with the ear while keeping the signature glossy white shell, the chrome outline, and improving the fit in the ear. My design would look a little something like this:
This design presents a different form factor than what we know as AirPods today, and consumers are ready for the change. My concept features a glossy white shell with an outline in chrome. This larger flat surface area lends to including more touch features. In the center of the ear, users would be able to tap to answer calls and double tap to change to the next song. Along the top of the earbud, a simple slide up or down will increase or decrease volume. As always, removing the earbud will pause the music. The shark fin in-ear attachment along with the different sized circular piece allows for a more secure fit. This design could support a multitude of features.
Our world is forever changing in all aspects of life. Wireless headphones are now more important than ever to avoid any potential hassle of tangled wires with masks. I’d expect to see even more sales in AirPods as the pandemic continues and the public continues to wear masks.
• https://fortune.com/2019/08/06/apple-airpods-business/
• https://interestingengineering.com/headphones-a-history-of-the-original-wearable-tech
• https://www.core77.com/posts/80556/default.asp?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=October+30+2018&utm_content=October+30+2018+CID_67ea82dc7da8a05cdb2bc5239ba5d1f4&utm_source=Email+marketing+software&utm_term=Charts+Showing+the+Evolution+of+Product+Design+Form+Factors+Continued
• https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/20/airpods-a-6-billion-business-for-apple-will-be-bigger-next-year.html#:~:text=The%20analyst%20said%20in%20a,third%20largest%20business%2C%20Sacconaghi%20said.
• https://imgur.com/a/BeUaj
• https://www.soundguys.com/was-ditching-the-headphone-jack-a-good-idea-13825/
• https://www.theverge.com/2016/9/8/12839758/apple-is-biggest-winner-from-killing-headphone-jack
• https://qz.com/1295361/the-internet-loled-at-airpods-when-they-launched-whos-laughing-now/
• https://www.vecteezy.com/vector-art/239682-engagement-proposal-vector-illustration
• https://singularityhub.com/2018/11/13/an-ear-grown-from-apples-why-the-key-to-tissue-engineering-could-be-plants/
• https://easydrawingguides.com/how-to-draw-frankensteins-monster/