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What is the unique feature of an Airpod that was not present in the successful products that launched a decade before? Status symbol for the apple nuts?

Most people I know use only one airpod at a time. That applies to my two teens in highschool and a multitude of professionals I work with. The same people a decade earlier would just be using the Samsung mono ear pieces or the multitude of other ones that existed.

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Airpod has 3 bluetooth chips, one in each ear and the case. All of these are synced, and the individual ear pieces are synced. Their form factor, battery life, ease of pairing, sound quality, build quality, comfort, and price point were what made them better than anything else on the market. Competitors may have caught up but Apple is still offering the best product.

I own airpods because they came free with a macbook I was buying as a gift for someone. I use them.

They are a bit of an improvement over some devices out there, but they are probably a downgrade from Bose bluetooth devices I have owned temporarily (I returned them to exchange for a wired buds pair).

I think you are giving Apple too much credit. I would say Airpods have good marketing and it is smart to give them away for free with their other products to create or perpetuate an illusion of popularity.

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