Apple's AirPod Success: Headphone Users Show They're Willing To Cut The Cord

If there was a question whether Apple Inc. AAPL's AirPod wireless headphones would be adapted by consumers, the answer appears to be an ear-rattling “yes.”

Since the wireless earbuds went on sale December 13, Apple has become an instant leader in the online wireless headphone market and now accounts for 26 percent of sales in the sector, according to data released this week by digital commerce analysts Slice Intelligence.

AirPod Success By The Numbers

As a whole, 75 percent of headphones sold online in the month of December were wireless, Slice said.

Apple accounts for another 15.4 percent of the sector, according to Slice, due to its ownership of the Beats brand, which led the sector prior to the introduction of AirPod.

The launch of AirPod headphones — which are compatible with the iPhone 7 announced in September — resulted in spending on headphones that was 10 times beyond the year’s pre-holiday average, Slice said. December 13 was the biggest day for online headphone purchases in calendar 2016.

The demographics of AirPod purchases in the short time since their launch have skewed heavily male: 85 percent of buyers are male and trend younger, while the largest share of female buyers are baby boomers.

The removal of the headphone jack serves a two-pronged purpose, according to a Forbes story written after the iPhone 7 launch. It aids in the water resistance of the design and frees up valuable space inside the device.

“The headphone jack is a gas station in Manhattan. There are more valuable things that could be done with the space,” the magazine said.