Apple's AirPods took 60 percent of fully wireless earbud market in holiday quarter
Apple's AirPods claimed 60 percent of fully wireless earbud sales during the December quarter, according to new estimates, beating out other well-reviewed buds from the likes of Jabra and Bose.
Coming in a distant second was Jabra's fitness-focused Elite Active 65t, Counterpoint Research said in a report released on Friday. Others in the top five include the Samsung Gear IconX, the JLab JBuds Air True Wireless, and the Bose SoundSport Free.
Jabra likewise claimed second in global marketshare, but nowhere near Apple's percentage, sharing the remaining 40 percent of the market with brands like Bose, JBL, Samsung, JLab, and Huawei.
In terms of regional markets, soft spots included China and Europe. Jabra in fact beat out Apple in Europe with a 14 percent share, aided by the arrival of new brands like Arbily, HolyHigh, and Vigoshop.
Jabra's Elite Active 65t.
Apple's worldwide performance was "dented," Counterpoint said, by people waiting for the company's second-generation AirPods, only recently released. These optionally ship with a wireless charging case, and use the company's new H1 chip, which improves battery life and connection speeds.
Another factor diluting Apple's share was the performance of smaller brands like JLab and QCY, which while not as well known can attract people with reasonable price and performance.
Coming in a distant second was Jabra's fitness-focused Elite Active 65t, Counterpoint Research said in a report released on Friday. Others in the top five include the Samsung Gear IconX, the JLab JBuds Air True Wireless, and the Bose SoundSport Free.
Jabra likewise claimed second in global marketshare, but nowhere near Apple's percentage, sharing the remaining 40 percent of the market with brands like Bose, JBL, Samsung, JLab, and Huawei.
In terms of regional markets, soft spots included China and Europe. Jabra in fact beat out Apple in Europe with a 14 percent share, aided by the arrival of new brands like Arbily, HolyHigh, and Vigoshop.
Jabra's Elite Active 65t.
Apple's worldwide performance was "dented," Counterpoint said, by people waiting for the company's second-generation AirPods, only recently released. These optionally ship with a wireless charging case, and use the company's new H1 chip, which improves battery life and connection speeds.
Another factor diluting Apple's share was the performance of smaller brands like JLab and QCY, which while not as well known can attract people with reasonable price and performance.
Comments
Bringing the utmost in design and dedication he completely redesigned the AirPods into a well-deserved, follow suite appliance. Loosely but courageously playing with their original lines, it took audacity and a firm stance towards lamentation - as sitting on his laurels could have been temptative with the broad acceptance of his award-winning, classical design statement.
However, he resisted that and went into stunning detail: Every individual molecule not only became carefully reassessed but also meticulously redimensioned. Every atom got retrofitted and recommitted towards its inner essence, and evaluated in its main aim: to contribute to style and elegance of the overall concept. The former tentpoles became re-evaluated where it came to their intrinsic function, now to reappear in a completely new occurrence: the amputated kolibri leg.
In a research that took over 13 years and went as far as Guatemala and South-Paraguay, the inner spirit of the South-American jungle bird appeared to have the closest resemblance to the essence of the AirPod, with its wings twittering at the full frequency spectrum of from -4 to 40kHz while maintainting complete mechanical balance and supreme homology across its whole structure. As only few of us realize, the kolibri also is amongst the rarest species, just like the AirPod early adopter that - despite what all commercial blog and web publicity wants us to believe - remains shy, fragile, vigorously trying to behave casual during social events, at every public appearance with these unreferenced remainings hanging out of his or her ear. In striking similarity, the kolibri’s timid appearance gives away that it actually wasn’t created to be another animalist, trivial part in the foodchain. It actually appeals to a more pristine, spiritual level of Life.
Sometimes it seems it doesn’t want to be there on the streets, and only exists because The Creator wanted it to. And that Creator’s disciple chose to take that analogy and take it to a further level, again, as expected in Cupertino, in line with his recent, revolutionary iPad (/mini) reincarnations. Adequately responding, in complete anticipation, to the quest for new colors, 256 to be exact, in their unique integration of universal white: the unified coagulation of all color desires across the hemisphere. In that, he found the new, serene way to express existence, meaningfulness, and pristine essence of the venerable plastic enclosure shaped to universally fit every human ear on the planet (except possibly yours)
As only Apple can do.
I laughed at Latko's post.
Most of the earbuds I see around me are wired. The vast majority in fact. Of the wireless variants there is a mix between wireless and truly wireless but I can guarantee you that Air Pods don't represent anywhere near a large proportion of even the truly wireless variants.
I think that if everyone went wireless, that proportion wouldn't change.
People are still happy with wires though.
I don't hate AirPods but they don't fit my ears and are expensive. In the wider scheme of things (earbuds in general) they don't represent that much popularity at all and don't in the Apple world either. Just look around you. You might see a few of them but if you look deeper you will find wires everywhere, before noticing other wireless options that are so discreet that you missed them first time around.
The popularity you mention only appears when you compare them in specific settings.
Right. AirPods are a failure.... *FACEPALM*
Just look around you when you're out and about.
Take into account the comment I was replying to. AirPods are exactly the kind of Apple product that will be in peak demand for the Christmas period. They are expensive but not too expensive as a gift.
Wired earbuds come in the box and people get by perfectly well with them. That's why you see so many out there. From there you can jump (very cheaply) to better wired options, wireless or truly wireless and people buy them throughout the year. There isn't a spike in earbud sales at Christmas because they perform like consumable products.
Apple's offering in truly wireless is also at the high end of the price scale. They are popular but that popularity is in one specific context.