7 ms·
People paid $550 for a pair of headphones. They'll buy this if it's good
by dayvid 3y ago
People paid $550 for a pair of headphones. They'll buy this if it's good
- permo-w 3y agoto be fair, $550 for a pair of headphones is a lot, but it's not even close to top of the range
- nunez 3y agoIt was definitely in the upper range of prices for over-the-ear Bluetooth headphones, not like this even matters, because people just _did not_ pay $500+ for headphones before the Maxes dropped.
- ztrww 3y agosome people obviously did pay $500+ for headphones. We don’t know how many sets has Apple actually sold…
- permo-w 3y ago>people just did not pay $500+ for headphones before the Maxes dropped are you sure? why do you think this?
- thih9 3y agoI think they’re saying that apple is selling $500 headphones to people who would otherwise not buy $500 headphones
- virgildotcodes 3y agoJust wanted to piggyback on this. I was just commenting today to my coworker on the number of people I see walking around Manhattan/Brooklyn with AirPods Maxes on. I swear I see at least a pair or two every other minute while walking down the street. Most of these people, like you said, we’re likely not blowing $500+ on headphones before Apple made that concept mainstream.
- x0x0 3y agoSure they were, or at least close. Beats: $400 out the door. Bose Quiet Comfort, whichever is the most recent: similar. Sony also sells ~$350-ish noise cancelling headphones. Going from $350 to $550 is roughly the normal apple premium. This is $3k.
- virgildotcodes 3y agoHonestly, nah. I don’t think the majority of these people were blowing 400 or 350 or whatever on alternatives beforehand. Granted, this is 100% anecdotal, but I’m seeing way more people rocking AirPods Max around the city every day than I remember ever seeing rocking over the ear headphones, let alone expensive ones.
- kaba0 3y agoI see airpods more often, but sure, apple did discover a huge market here (and not so kindly pushed people towards it by the removal of jack ports). But I don’t fault them, the airpod pros are really cool and the comfort of noise cancellation especially on public transport is a godsend and it makes sense that many people actually cough together the price for that.
- permo-w 3y agothis is $3k, but then how much are other premium VR headsets?
- cornel_io 3y agoThey're also selling much worse headphones than what an audiophile would buy for $500+, but trendier.
- bradlys 3y ago> $550 for a pair of headphones is a lot, but it's not even close to top of the range It's top of the range for typical consumers. The people who wear Apple's $550 headphones aren't people who are buying Sennheiser HD800s'. Before, people would've spent $200 or up to $300 on the Bose ones. Apple got them to spend an extra $200-250. I'm surprised by how often I see these headphones. They were basically nonexistent in the Bay Area but I see them often enough in NYC.
- prng2021 3y agoExcept no one bought those headphones.
- budoso 3y ago[flagged]
- prng2021 3y agoYes. What percentage of people in the world who use headphones would you say is using them?
- d3nj4l 3y agoA far higher percentage than "no one"
- usea 3y agoOf people I see sitting at a computer, few are using them. For everyone else, airpods far outnumber all other kinds of headphones combined. Whether it's the grocery store or an airport. I can only speak to my experience. This is a subjective, bias-loaded anecdote. For example it could just be that they're newish, so I notice the novelty more. Or the design is easier to see. Etc etc.
- parasubvert 3y agoHere's what I know: Apple's wearable business (Airpods, Apple Watch, Airtags) is $41 billion annually, most of which is Airpods. I see Airpods Max everywhere: on the street, in the office, on zoom calls, and on airplanes. they're recognizable and common. I see other headphones also, and white airpods/airpods pros the most.
- ztrww 3y agoPeople were paying similar amounts for high-end headphones for years.
- brailsafe 3y agoNot the same people though