[bad_user]

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.

[MBCook]

That's nice to hear.

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.

[falcolas]

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.