I can tell you from my experience as somebody that never liked Apple products, those Apple earbuds are popular because they are cheap and good, having an insane quality/price ratio.
I have an Android phone right now, but I'm using Apple earbuds, even though the volume controls don't work.
As someone using AirPods right now... they're AMAZING. The 'magic' pairing is nice but it doesn't go as far as I hoped.
However as Bluetooth headphones they're so tiny it's easy to always carry them. They're a cinch to charge. They sound great (for their size) and now I always carry them with me. Music? Podcasts? Videos? Way more than good-enough.
Just fantastic little things. Shame they're STILL 6 weeks behind demand. They must be REALLY hard to make if Apple hasn't sorted it out after all this time.
We're strongly in personal preference territory, but Apple earbuds sound terrible. The lows are far too heavy and the mids are far too thin, though the highs at least sound OK. I would rather spend that $30 (retail from Apple) on a pair of Sennheiser, Klipsch or even Sony earbuds.
I have an Android phone right now, but I'm using Apple earbuds, even though the volume controls don't work.