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."
[43] Initially mocked by many for their unfamiliar design (including
CNN asking "Would people actually wear these?" in 2016),
[44] their popularity grew rapidly over the years and they were voted the most popular "hearable" brand of 2019.
[4]
One criticism of AirPods is 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.
[45][46][47]
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.
[48] In response, Apple upgraded the AirPods' firmware to version 3.5.1, which addressed connectivity and battery drain problems.
[49]
The
lithium-ion batteries in AirPods can see significant
degradation over time, with two-year-old sets lasting for less than half of the advertised five hours.
[50][51] As mentioned previously, Apple offers "battery service" to combat this, but this is actually a replacement program as batteries in AirPods cannot be removed.
[52]
As for sound quality, SoundGuys gives the AirPods a rating of 7.3/10, but they admit that consumers likely would not buy AirPods if they were looking for the best sound quality earphones.
[53]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AirPods
They were roundly mocked at launch. Just like the iPhone and iPad.
They’re now worth $15bn a year as a stand-alone business