Apple earbuds

The idea for modern Apple headphones, specifically the AirPods, came from a team led by Bart André, Jonathan Ive, and Richard Howarth, under the vision of Steve Jobs.

• Illustration — Comparison of early and later iPod earphones Apple's original earphones shipped with the original iPod, released on October 23, 2001. They were never given a formal name and were referred to variously as "iPod headphones" and "the iPod's earbud-style headphones". They were bundled with two pairs of foam covers. The second generation added a plastic slider to allow the user to limit the gap between the wires. The third generation were redesigned with a slightly longer strain relief, a slightly smaller speaker grill, and the left/right marking being moved from the outside to the inside.

The iPhone Stereo Headset was introduced in 2007 and was bundled with the original iPhone and iPhone 3G, and featured a control capsule in-line with the left earbud's wire with a microphone and a single button, actuated by squeezing the unit, which can be programmed to control calls, presentations, music and video playback, launch Siri, or take pictures with the Camera application. There was also a version without the microphone that was rarer. There have been many reports of moisture problems with the remote/mic.

iPod In-Ear Headphones were introduced in January 2004 as premium headphones compared to those bundled with iPods, and were available for $39. They included three different sized plastic caps, and Apple claimed improved sound quality and bass response. They were discontinued in 2008.

Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic were introduced in 2009 and were bundled with the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, the third-generation iPod Touch, and sold independently. They expanded on the iPhone Stereo Headset by adding two other buttons dedicated to volume control. A variant without a microphone shipped only with the third-generation iPod shuffle.

Apple In-Ear Headphones were introduced on September 9, 2008, intended as a premium option compared to Apple's bundled earbuds. Like the regular earbuds they have a remote control and microphone built-in. They add silicone ear tips and dual balanced armature drivers advertised as "engineered for superior acoustic accuracy, balance, and clarity". The remote and protective case was redesigned on September 12, 2012, with the remote matching that of EarPods. Apple has since removed them from their online store.

• Illustration — Apple EarPods in their box EarPods were introduced in September 2012 alongside the iPhone 5 and replaced Apple's earlier circular earbuds. EarPods are characterised by an asymmetric, contoured design intended to better fit the human ear and improve comfort and sound performance. The EarPods are available in three connector options: 3.5mm headphone, Lightning and USB-C. EarPods were previously bundled with various iPhone models from 2012 to 2020.

• Illustration — Apple's iPhone 7 and newer models lack a headphone jack (released in September 2016), and until September 12, 2018, included a Lightning to 3.5mm dongle. iPhone models from the iPhone 7 to the iPhone X also shipped with a Lightning-to-3.5mm headphone jack adapter, enabling customers to connect 3.5mm headphones to a Lightning port. Thanks to an iOS update (iOS 10.3), it is backwards compatible, meaning it can be used with any previous device with a Lightning port (from iPhone 5 onwards). It is no longer included as of the iPhone XS and iPhone XR, but remains available for purchase from Apple and third-party retailers. Since 2024, the Lightning-to-3.5mm headphone jack adapter has been discontinued in favor of transitioning from the Lightning connector to the USB-C connector A USB-C-to-3.5mm headphone jack adapter was introduced in 2018 alongside the third-generation iPad Pro, which uses the USB-C connector. It is also intended for use with the iPhone 15 series and later, which also use the USB-C connector.

• Illustration — iPhone Bluetooth Headset The iPhone Bluetooth Headset was introduced in 2007 priced at $129 and later reduced to $99. It was discontinued in 2009. It was designed for phone calls only and could not be used for listening to music. The integration included showing an icon for the headset and its battery level. It was bundled with a "Travel Cable" that charged it and a 30-pin iPhone simultaneously, and a docking station called the iPhone Dual Dock that could charge it and an original iPhone was also available.

• Illustration — Apple AirPods and case AirPods were announced alongside the iPhone 7 and were released on December 16, 2016. They are wireless earbud-style headphones with microphones, dual accelerometers, IR sensors used to pause music if they are not in the user's ears, and motion touch sensors that are used to activate controls. They are advertised as having a battery life of five hours, and come with a charging case that gives them a total of 24 hours of battery life. The original case is charged by Lightning, and in 2019 a second case was introduced with Qi charging. AirPods are compatible with iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, Macs, the 6th generation iPod Touch, and the 7th generation iPod Nano, but automatic pairing with an iCloud account requires macOS Sierra, iOS 10, and watchOS. They are also compatible with devices on other platforms that support Bluetooth, but it limits the AirPods' functionality. On September 9, 2024, following the announcement of the fourth-generation AirPods, and all-new advanced hearing aid features for AirPods Pro 2 and the updated AirPods Max with USB-C port, all the devices of the AirPods product line have been transitioned from the proprietary Lightning port to the universal USB-C port, making both the second-generation AirPods, third-generation AirPods and the original AirPods Max with Lightning port discontinued.

• Illustration — AirPods Pro and case AirPods Pro were released on October 30, 2019, as a premium option compared to AirPods. They feature the same H1 chip found on the second-generation AirPods, and boast a slimmer design, control by pressing the force sensor on the stems instead of double tapping on the ear pieces, active noise cancellation, adaptive EQ, IPX4 water resistance, a new charging case with Qi standard, and include silicone tips. On September 23, 2022, the AirPods Pro 2 was released. They feature the H2 chip, added swiping control for adjusting the volume, major improvement on the active noise cancellation, an increased battery life, the U1 chip that supports Find My tracking, built-in speaker for locating and status updates, added compatibility with the Apple Watch charger (in addition to the Qi standard wireless charging and wired Lightning connector charging), lanyard loop added to the side of the charging case and added extra-small silicone tip size (in addition to large, medium and small silicon tip sizes). On September 22, 2023, alongside the launch of the iPhone 15 models and iPhone 15 Pro models, the updated AirPods Pro 2 features the improved IP54 dust resistance, added the support for lossless audio with the Apple Vision Pro, and a charging case with USB-C port instead of a Lightning port. On September 9, 2024, following the announcement of the fourth-generation AirPods and the updated AirPods Max with USB-C port, Apple announced the all-new advanced hearing health features for the AirPods Pro 2.

• Illustration — AirPods Max and Smart case AirPods Max, released on December 15, 2020, are wireless Bluetooth over-ear headphones. They feature two H1 chips, active noise cancellation and transparency mode, a Digital Crown and on-head detection. On September 9, 2024, AirPods Max replaced the Lightning port with a USB-C port.

Apple's white earbuds are prominently featured in the majority of their distinctive "silhouette style" iPod advertisements. Most often as a dancing black figure in Silhouette with a starkly contrasted white earbuds and cord while holding a white iPod. The background is usually another bright colour so the iPod and headphones clearly stand out compared to the rest of the image.