Slashdot Mirror


Wireless Headphone Sales Soared After Apple Dropped Headphone Jack (fortune.com)

Apple's decision to remove the headphone jack from new iPhones last year prompted lots of consumers to switch to wireless headphones, according to a new report on holiday shopping. From a report: Three-quarters of all headphones sold online in December were wireless models, up from 50% a year earlier, according to shopping tracker Slice Intelligence. Apple was the biggest beneficiary of the shift, as both its new AirPods earphones and models from its Beats subsidiary led the sales charts. The $159 AirPods, Apple's first wireless model sold under its own brand, didn't go on sale until Dec. 13, but the product quickly dominated the wireless headphone market, Slice found. In the year prior to the debut, the Beats brand topped online sales of wireless models with a 24% market share, trailed by Bose with an 11% share and Jaybird at 8%. But after AirPods went on sale, they grabbed 26% of online wireless sales, Slice found. Bose was second at 16% and Beats dropped to third with 15% of the market during the period considered.

2 of 252 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Totally false by Shakrai · · Score: 5, Insightful

    My iPhone 7 came with *both* wired EarPods and an adapter for legacy headsets.

    Only an Apple fan would use the term "legacy" in reference to a 3.5mm headphone jack.

    --
    I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
    We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
  2. In other news... by wickerprints · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Sales of dongles soar after Apple removes MacBook Pro ports"

    I can see what's next:

    "Sales of external battery packs soar after Apple eliminates batteries from all products to make them 2 mm thinner"

    "Sales of wireless keyboards soar after Apple removes keyboard from MacBooks to make them 1 mm thinner"

    "Sales of trackpads, displays, and logic boards soar after Apple announces new MacBook Pro is an empty cardboard box; calls it 'our most innovative and courageous product ever'"