Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple's Greg Joswiak on AirPods Growth: 'It Was Almost Like Wildfire'

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
63,706
31,132


Apple's AirPods have been doing better than the company could have ever imagined, Apple's Vice President of Product Marketing Greg Joswiak said in a new report by Wired. Joswiak notes how the growth of AirPods "was almost like wildfire."

airpods-family.jpg

Joswiak touched upon Apple's vision for a wireless future. Apple crossed a pivotal point in its push towards a wireless future with the controversial decision to remove the headphone jack from its iPhone lineup beginning in 2016 with the launch of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

We had this incredible wireless product, the iPhone. And yet, what began to feel odd is when you saw somebody using wired headphones. Right then you thought, why would you attach the wire?
Click to expand...

Joswiak also shared some of the development stages of the AirPods lineup.


We had done work with Stanford to 3D-scan hundreds of different ears and ear styles and shapes in order to make a design that would work as a one-size solution across a broad set of the population. With AirPods Pro, we took that research further - studied more ears, more ear types. And that enabled us to develop a design that, along with the three different tip sizes, works across an overwhelming percentage of the worldwide population.
Click to expand...

Apple recently reported its financial results for the second fiscal quarter of 2020, and Apple CEO Tim Cook proudly announced that a quarterly record for wearables had been set. In the first fiscal quarter of 2020, Cook had also announced that Apple's wearables category had set a new all-time revenue record. In addition, it was mentioned that Apple's wearables business is now the size of a Fortune 150 company.

Apple's first generation AirPods were first launched alongside the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in 2016. Since then, Apple's second-generation AirPods launched in March 2019, while the AirPods Pro were released at the end of October.

Article Link: Apple's Greg Joswiak on AirPods Growth: 'It Was Almost Like Wildfire'
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2020/05/09/greg-joswiak-airpods-growth/
thadoggfather

thadoggfather

macrumors P6
Oct 1, 2007
15,559
16,294
That no headphone jack really kicked it off proper

Im fine without it on my iPhones,

but I like having one on my iPads just in case... a quick listen of something without a pairing process.

I'm still on my gen 1 AirPods, though a Genius Bar swap of both buds and the case a year or so ago.

$100 something pretty well spent, think I got a bit of a discount at launch too because of some order processing fumble cant really recall

--

I'll buy another pair when these kick the bucket but I love maximizing utility out of them.

They sold between 10-12 billion$$$ worth in 2019 I think. Wonder how much is from losing a pair and buying another, or bum battery.
 
  • Like
Reactions: el beisbol, brinary001 and dannyyankou
john123

john123

macrumors 68030
Jul 20, 2001
2,584
1,586
Imagine that! You strip people of their ability to use one type of product and instead force them to use another type of product.

Then you introduce a version of that second product priced at $139 and up. You market it aggressively to people who already own at least one of your products, knowing full well that many of them care a lot about the brand and its cachet. It's a good product, but with gross margins around 60%, it's absurdly profitable.

And that new product does well! I say again – imagine that!

Full disclosure: I own a pair of AirPods Pro myself.
 
  • Like
  • Disagree
  • Haha
Reactions: rMBP2013, CarpalMac, Oblivious.Robot and 36 others
john123

john123

macrumors 68030
Jul 20, 2001
2,584
1,586
ct2k7 said:
I’ve owned AirPods and they aren’t anything special.

Is it the fact that it’s Apple-branded? Are we in a post world where anything Apple releases is automatically awesome?
Click to expand...
Yep. Plus they're a status symbol and convey to everyone else — very visibly and noticeably — that you own not just one put two Apple products.

Don't get me wrong. They're very good. But at $249, they are like most Apple products: padded with a huge profit margin.
 
  • Like
  • Disagree
  • Love
Reactions: vikingjunior, I7guy, CarpalMac and 5 others
dannyyankou

dannyyankou

macrumors G5
Mar 2, 2012
13,050
28,084
Westchester, NY
thadoggfather said:
That no headphone jack really kicked it off proper

Im fine without it on my iPhones,

but I like having one on my iPads just in case... a quick listen of something without a pairing process.

I'm still on my gen 1 AirPods, though a Genius Bar swap of both buds and the case a year or so ago.

$100 something pretty well spent, think I got a bit of a discount at launch too because of some order processing fumble cant really recall

--

I'll buy another pair when these kick the bucket but I love maximizing utility out of them.

They sold between 10-12 billion$$$ worth in 2019 I think. Wonder how much is from losing a pair and buying another, or bum battery.
Click to expand...
I'll agree about iPads, if people are looking to upgrade their iPad but still want a headphone jack just in case, the iPad mini 5 is a great choice. The 10.2 inch one is great too, but it's a couple generations slower. But great value.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GeoStructural and u+ive
john123

john123

macrumors 68030
Jul 20, 2001
2,584
1,586
BF1M said:
...you can still use wired with your iPhone. Nobody is forcing anyone down a path. Gentle pushing maybe...
Click to expand...

Tried it? It's awful. I've been doing it for a month now while I'm away from my home because I left my AirPods behind. That lightning connector sticking out is such an annoyance compared to the regular headphone connector itself.
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: timber, ginkobiloba, JBGoode and 2 others
ct2k7

ct2k7

macrumors G3
Aug 29, 2008
8,364
3,435
London
john123 said:
Yep. Plus they're a status symbol and convey to everyone else — very visibly and noticeably — that you own not just one put two Apple products.

Don't get me wrong. They're very good. But at $249, they are like most Apple products: padded with a huge profit margin.
Click to expand...

To me, this is just strange, but I guess I’m not a massive one for status symbols, I find that rather petty.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Stryder541
B

BF1M

Suspended
Nov 17, 2018
1,043
1,694
dannyyankou said:
What do you mean "trapping"? Apple sold a phone without a headphone jack, people bought them. If it was that much of a deal breaker, they'd buy a different phone, or refuse to upgrade.
Click to expand...

And included an adaptor to replicate the function of the now missing jack.
[automerge]1589061654[/automerge]
ct2k7 said:
To me, this is just strange, but I guess I’m not a massive one for status symbols, I find that rather petty.
Click to expand...

He says on an Apple fan site...
 
  • Like
Reactions: TropN, sinsin07, el beisbol and 7 others
B

BF1M

Suspended
Nov 17, 2018
1,043
1,694
Herrpod said:
You can only use a wire attached to an adapter. An adapter that by the way lessens the audio quality of everything that passes through it.
Click to expand...

Quality issues aside(if they even exist) you can still do things the old way, so the point is invalid.
 
  • Like
Reactions: G5isAlive
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom