The History of Apple Earbuds

Apple released the iPod in late 2001. The company’s then-design engineer, Sir Jonathan Ive, chose a vintage aesthetic for the new device that was inspired by the 1953 Braun T3 radio, which was designed in turn by Dieter Rams. The now-iconic white wired headphones were not the main focus of the design originally. In fact, the white color was reportedly chosen simply because it matched the minimalist aesthetic of the player itself. However, the company quickly realized that most early adopters of the iPod were simply carrying the device in their pockets, which made it largely invisible to other potential consumers. The part that stuck out from the crowd? The visible white headphones that the iPod was paired with. Sales were modest until 2003, when Apple launched the third-generation iPod alongside the iTunes Store. The company also, crucially, began running a series of now-iconic “silhouette campaign” ads that featured silhouettes of people wearing the white iPod headphones while dancing to upbeat tunes against brightly colored backdrops. Soon after, the iPod exploded in popularity and the wired white headphones became an instantly recognizable symbol of Apple. When the iPad Touch and later the iPhone were launched, both also came with a pair of wired white headphones. The design of Apple’s earbuds has changed somewhat over the years (for example, the formerly circular earbuds have evolved into carefully shaped EarPods), but the initial design concept — wired white earbuds — remains the same. In fact, although Apple’s wireless AirPods have gained a ton of traction in recent years, the brand’s simple white wired earbuds (currently known as EarPods) haven’t gone anywhere and are in fact still sold and used regularly today.