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Remember when the Apple AirPods was released and people thought by themselves: it looks like “cotton swabs” or wearing iPods in public is “courageous“. Apple redesigned the original AirPods and released a Pro version.
Wearables Market
While the iPhone is Apple’s cash cow, the AirPods quickly took the number one spot in the wearables and hearables market. According to Counterpoint, a global research company, Apple prevails in the aforementioned markets. They found that Apple had 45% of the market share in the third quarter of 2019.
If you combine Beats’s (who is owned by Apple) share, Apple probably has close to or just more than 50% market share.
Quick Market Domination
Apple was at the top in the hearables market in the fourth quarter of 2018, securing 60% of the market share, only two years after the first AirPods was announced on September 7, 2019, alongside the iPhone 7.
Apple being the leader in wearables has to do with the Apple Watch, but the AirPods secured Apple’s reign. The following numbers were forecasted for 2019. Earwear accounting for 45.7% of the wearables market worldwide of which we saw Apple’s 45% market share. Smartwatches occupying only 22.7% and is just above Wristbands occupying 22.4%. Projections for 2023 estimate that Wristbands will fall to 14.5%, Smartwatches falling to 22.3% and hearables rising to 56%.
The table below shows these numbers side by side.
| Wearable | 2019 | 2023 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earwear | 45.7% | 56% | +10.3% |
| Smartwatch | 22.7% | 22.3% | -0.4% |
| Wristband | 22.4% | 14.5% | -7.9% |
Pricing and Availability
AirPods 2
The AirPods 2 is available to purchase in South Africa at the following stores:
C – Charging Case
W – Wireless Charging Case
S – Online Special
It’s available in the US on Apple.com for $159 with a Charging Case and $199 with the Wireless Charging Case.
AirPods Pro
The AirPods Pro with a Wireless Charging Case is available for purchase in South Africa at the following stores:
| Store | Price | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Digicape | R3,999 | Temporarily out of stock |
| iStore | R3,999 | Pre-order, expected mid January 2020 |
It is available on Apple.com for $249.00 with free engraving, probably only for a limited time.
Closing
If you want to become a part of the massive community that uses wearables, you might as well do it in style with the leader in wearable tech.
Note: Pricing as on 29 December 2019
