I’m not really much of an Apple user. While I’ve had plenty of experience using an iPhone, I’ve never personally owned one nor have I ever owned an iPad or a MacBook. However, I do know a decent amount about the company’s history with unique and innovative products.
Apple recently announced the newest iteration of their flagship smartphone, the iPhone 7. The phone is packed with a number of new features, mostly on the hardware side, but the most notable new feature is the exclusion of a traditional headphone jack. While tech, such as lighting adapters, will give users the ability to use wired headphones, Apple is heavily promoting their new Air Pods alongside the iPhone 7.
At first glance, the Air Pods seem like kind of a silly idea to me. Wireless headphones have been around for a long time, but making them somewhat of a necessity for your new phone did not sit right with me (especially considering that the Air Pods look like they’ll get lost within a day of owning them).
Then I remembered how Apple’s other products became as famous, and as ubiquitous, as they are today. The MacBook changed the way we look at personal computers, the iPhone changed the way we view and interact with our cell phones, and nobody knew they wanted a tablet before Apple released the iPad.
Apple has a long and storied history of giving people technology that they didn’t know or think they wanted. So, maybe the Air Pods could be a similar situation. They have always been innovators; A group of people with extremely creative minds that aren’t satisfied with just being good enough. This can also be seen in their constant pushes for either their own proprietary technology, and their push for technology that isn’t yet widely used, such as USB C.
I’m not saying that the Air Pods are the next big trend in technology. I’m simply looking back on the company’s history, and seeing how their previous products have fared. The Air Pods could be amazing, or they could be awful. However, I don’t think it’s smart to count Apple and their technology out so soon.
