> Why weren’t there tons of earbuds that looked like AirPods before the AirPods came out? Two independent things that weren’t linked with a wire that you could put in a charging case?
Because making them that way is more expensive.
> There was absolutely nothing like them at the time in the category.
iPhone: There is now a usable internet-connected general-purpose computer in your pocket.
AirPods: We got rid of the piece of wire between your earbuds.
> iPhone: There is now a usable internet-connected general-purpose computer in your pocket. AirPods: We got rid of the piece of wire between your earbuds.
Most people who have AirPods didn’t have earbuds with the wire. Those who did didn’t wear them like AirPods. The iPhone is a computer in your pocket you interact with through touch. AirPods are computers in your ears you interact with through voice. Especially with LLMs, the latter is a huge step forward.
Also, the processing power in an AirPod outclasses Apollo 11’s; if we’re going to go full tech reductionist, it’s still a feat.
> Are you really contending that this is a difference of the same magnitude as the iPhone?
Yes. Convincing a large fraction of the population to not only adopt a novel computing device, but attach it to their person in a publicly-visible way is something that happens a few times a generation at most.
AirPods are far more broadly adopted than the Apple Watch. I’d also argue against the latter having the sense of design finality the AirPods came out of the door with. Similar to the iPhone.
> AirPods got people to stop complaining that Apple took away the headphone jack. I suspect that might have even been the main reason Apple made them
Doubtful given development timeline and sourcing. It’s more that they arise from a shared vision.
Because making them that way is more expensive.
> There was absolutely nothing like them at the time in the category.
iPhone: There is now a usable internet-connected general-purpose computer in your pocket.
AirPods: We got rid of the piece of wire between your earbuds.
It's not the same thing.