Sony has done the same with its ear buds as well. So I'm inclined to think it's not "they just make a good product" and more "they've positioned themselves as the premium electronics brand".
AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair
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Re: AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair
#12My first HN comment. It’s the monopoly tie in… so many features that other just cannot provide. Hey siri… handover to name a few. It’s a total disgrace IMHO. To think how much Microsoft got fined for just bundling IE..
How dare Apple sell me exactly what I want: an integrated computing environment
Re: AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair
#13[deleted]
Re: AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair
#14I disagree with author here. I wish I didn’t, because that would mean that customers are much more aware than they really are. In reality I doubt that adding those features to existing models had any impact on sales at all. If Apple had data that people would buy headphones for those features, they would 100% made them exclusive. AirPods are just the best in its class, that’s why people are buying them.
Re: AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair
#152-3 years for earphones are a good metric? My Sony WH-1000X M3 are now almost 6 years old and still work perfectly (just replaced the pads once last year)
Normies in my life get significant utility from AirPods.
It may frustrate many that this continues to be brought up as the bar when discussing apple products, but getting the old folks onto wireless headphones was impossible prior to AirPods.
I have multiple 80+ year olds in my life and they just use them. Never asked me a thing about pairing. When things go awry they go to the apple story and pay $75 for the replacements.
Some may consider this a tax. For others, it’s a premium they’re willing to pay.
Re: AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair
#162-3 years for earphones are a good metric? My Sony WH-1000X M3 are now almost 6 years old and still work perfectly (just replaced the pads once last year)
The article is specifically (in the first sentence) about wireless earbuds. Comparing AirPods to traditional over-the-ear headphones is like comparing the longevity of a smartphone to that of a laptop.
Re: AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair
#17When my pair of Airpods started hissing, I bought "cheap" headphones from Amazon for $40. No Siri integration or what have you, but mic & speakers work great and if I lose them I'm not out hundreds of dollars.
Also the bluetooth pairing / switching between devices is much saner for me.
Re: AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair
#18>AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair
Shhh! Don't give Apple any ideas.
Re: AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair
#19My AirPods Pro (2nd gen) are just about 3 years old, still going strong, used daily for anywhere from 30-minutes to a few hours. I recently rented a U-Haul cargo van and had to drive it empty for a few hours. It would've been deafening without the AirPods. The noise cancellation works great for something like that.
My AirPods Pro first gen are nearly 6 years old, same use up till I gave them to my wife. She uses them less, but they are still going strong as well.
I just wish the tips fit my ears better. I'v resorted to having to make custom tips by placing memory foam under the large silicone tips. It's the only way I can get a decent seal. I've tried a few different third-party tips (including Comply) and none work for me.
Re: AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair
#20Sony has done the same with its ear buds as well. So I'm inclined to think it's not "they just make a good product" and more "they've positioned themselves as the premium electronics brand".
I wouldn't say my Sony headphones has become better than when I bought them though. There's been updates but I don't notice any difference before or after.
I've had WH XM3 and XM4 and they're essentially the same for the most part too.