One thing we have learnt is the art of creating a new product category out of nowhere and the artist is Apple. This is in context to the wireless earphones category that Apple has created by removing the 3.5mm headphone jack for the sake of making their phones thinner.
However, the irony is that Apple’s iPhones since the iPhone 7, when it removed the headphone jack, have become thicker over the years. This means that they can easily put the headphone jack if they want to. But why would they want to do so if their AirPods sales are creating new records every year.
Apple’s AirPods lineup which now includes the AirPods Pro along with the regular model has made record sales for the company and have become the best selling product outside the iPhones for Apple.
This is also the reason why most other companies have removed headphone jacks from their devices and released their own wireless earphones. Having said that, Apple’s AirPods remain to the best selling wireless earphones and a go-to choice for the majority of iPhone buyers.
Now, Apple wants to convert even those iPhone buyers who are not picking up AirPods while purchasing a new iPhone. And the question would be to find out a way to encourage (or force) iPhone owners to buy a pair of AirPods. Looks like the company has found the way and it is by removing the wired earpods from the iPhone 12 series.
Yes, a report from 9to5Mac suggests that Apple will not provide its users with wired “earpods” inside the box of iPhone 12 series which was standard till now in order to boost sales of the AirPods.
Now, we know that even the most loyal of Apple fans would find it annoying that their beloved company is not supplying them free earphones anymore. Therefore, Apple must provide another incentive so that users are happy to buy an additional product.
So according to Ming Chi-Kuo, Apple is going “heavily promote or discount the AirPods this holiday season”. It is also mentioned that no new AirPods are likely to come before next year so the discounts would be available on the current AirPods Pro and the regular AirPods.
It will still be interesting to see how iPhone owners react to this report and while most would not complain, there would be a section which would feel annoyed by this move from Apple.
