2026-10-31
AirPods: Mocked on Launch Day as 'Cordless Electric Toothbrush Heads,' How One Lid-Opening Detail Built a $15B+ Juggernaut
[DO AI PM Top 100 Greatest Products · #36 AirPods] In September 2016, when Apple killed the century-old 3.5mm headphone jack on the iPhone 7 and unveiled $159 wireless AirPods, the entire internet mocked them as severed hairdryers and electric toothbrush heads. Three years later, AirPods alone generated more annual revenue than Spotify, Twitter, Shopify, or AMD. Here is how a 88.3-point hardware masterpiece (EXP 92 · BIZ 90) invented the 300-million-unit TWS industry by eliminating five steps of Bluetooth friction.
