They sell products that work for 80% of people. I can't use the Apple mouse because it gives me wrist pain. My partner can't use Airpods because they hurt her ears. Their products work for some people, but if you're unlucky you can only go buy some other companies product.
It always struck me as odd, that despite all their focus on accessibility in software, they seem to ignore ergonomics for the most part. Probably because offering the smallest number of hardware models is more important to them than covering the whole market.
Also, on the original Mighty Mouse I used to use, I frequently found however hard I pressed, I couldn't click it - my hand just didn't correctly align with where I was supposed to apply pressure.
This was particularly bad for the original ear pods and normal AirPods (80% if I remember correctly), is much better for the AirPod pros with their exchangeable inner ear pieces (90%), and even better with the AirPod Max’s (95%).
Though if your ears are at the extreme end you’re out of luck. I guess it’s an unfair version of Darwin’s law... can’t really blame Apple for that though. Other headphone manufacturers don’t act differently in that regard.
Apple makes one mouse. It's going to fit 80% of people and they will like it. If you're one of the remaining 20%, go buy one from Logitech or Microsoft.
Never seen over the ear headphones come with alternative cups (though easily doable with the Max as they're detachable)
This is in the institutional DNA of Apple because it saved the company in the late nineties. Steve Jobs famously came in and canned dozens of Mac models, arguing that only four were needed: A pro desktop and a consumer desktop, a pro laptop and a consumer laptop. And that was that.
Apple is, what, a hundred times bigger today, but I don’t think the product design side of the company has really scaled up as much. I think they could afford to expand a bit.
Their H1 chipset line includes a fair number of products for different uses, ears and preferences.
AirPods Mark II, AirPods Pro w/ 3 separate tip sizes, AirPods Max, Powerbeats Pro which IIRC had 4 or 5 tip sizes in the box (would have to dig it out to check), the Beats Solo Pro and the 2020 Powerbeats.
Not all of these are good fits on me, and I’ve owned or tried most of them. Pretty sure the remainder of the Beats line sold today that I haven’t listed is still on the W1 which is still a decent enough chip, although I’ve found the H1 to have superior wireless performance in crowded downtown San Francisco where the W1 would have trouble maintaining a connection to my phone.
For all the headphones they sell, I think there are still some gaps in Apple’s lineup to fill and room for other products in the market. I don’t know what their plans are, but if they intend to remain contenders they probably are working on designs that you might like more, unlike say, the mouse, where they made Ive’s platonic ideal of a mouse and seemed to have called it a day, there is no range or differentiation: you can have a Magic Trackpad or you can have a Magic Mouse. I mean that’s fine, I’m happy with my Logitech mouse.