[ggg9990]

Well it’s possible that AirPods or other earbuds will eventually have capabilities that allow you to hear much better than normally, like a conversation 50 feet away or sounding an alarm when a relatively silent electric car is approaching. In that case there may be a 16/7 use case for them.

[beenBoutIT]

If that's the case there will be a disproportionate number of elderly users wearing earbuds constantly as a 'discrete' hearing aid. Considering that the price of an iPhone with AirPods is about the same as what one would pay for an FDA approved hearing aid device, seniors everywhere will adopt them en masse. There's elderly Americans everywhere, so the association between the elderly and the iconic and highly visible AirPods should solidify quickly after the release of iOS 12. This is the logical end or death of the AirPod trend as "something cool", and the birth of the AirPod as "something that old people need to function". Apple's moving into AARP & Jitterbug territory.