Apple's Airpods Are The First Mass Market 'Hearable'

Airpods, the wireless headphones from Apple Inc. AAPL, are a step towards future of computing, according to Andrew Murphy of Loup Ventures.

The wireless earbuds that went on sale in December are an instant hit. In fact, Apple has become an leader in the online wireless headphone market and now accounts for 26 percent of sales in the sector, according to a recent data from Slice Intelligence.

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 due to its ownership of the Beats brand, which led the sector prior to the introduction of AirPod.

Airpods – The Hearables

Murphy calls voice-controlled wearables, like AirPods, as “hearables.” He said AirPods represents a giant leap forward for audio as a user interface and is a key enabler of AR (augmented reality) technology.

Murphy noted that using AirPods necessarily means using your phone less frequently, or at least pulling it out of your purse or your pocket less frequently.

“AirPods can handle information requests, dictation, media control, and phone calls; meanwhile, quick glances at the Apple Watch on your wrist will suffice for most notifications. All of this means that your phone stays in your pocket,” Murphy wrote.

Survey Findings

Loup Ventures surveyed 55 AirPods users to better understand the state of the early hearables market. The findings showed AirPods received a net promoter score (NPS) of -2, which means the number of detractors, passives and promoters were split roughly in thirds, with slightly more detractors than promoters.

Among detractors and passives, half identified the ear fit as the opportunity for improvement, not the software or functionality.

“AirPods may not be perfect, but they’ll get better, smarter, and easier to use. They are just the beginning for hearables and a new wave of computing,” Murphy added.

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Image: Dave Doe, Flickr