When Apple unveiled its wireless earbuds, named the AirPods, the running joke was that just by looking at them, people already lost them. With their small size and no wires, users are worried the AirPods might fall out of their ears and get misplaced.
This concern has led to the announcement of products such as the Spigen AirPods Strap, which is a single cord to connect the AirPods to each other. The product has a price tag of $10 and will be an additional cost to customers looking to purchase the AirPods for $159 once they release in late October.
However, according to Apple's CEO himself, Tim Cook, such an accessory is not needed, and the underlying concerns that resulted in the creation of such a product are simply wrong.
In an exclusive interview with Good Morning America of ABC News, Cook told anchor Robin Roberts that he has used the AirPods in a wide range of situations but never had them fall out of his ears.
"I've been on treadmills, walking, doing all the things you normally do," Cook said. The Apple CEO was said to have even danced while wearing the AirPods, with the wireless earbuds still staying in place.
Cook added that the usual problem with traditional earbuds, which is getting their wires caught on something, is nonexistent with the AirPods.
The weight of the wires, in fact, is what's pulling traditional headphones out of the ears of users, Cook suggested, and due to the AirPods' completely wireless nature, they will actually be able to stay in place better compared to their wired counterparts.
While Cook makes a plausible argument on why consumers should not be concerned of losing their AirPods, customers will still be wary of the issue as many will think that this is simply Cook trying to sell the product, despite reviews on the AirPods such as the one by Wired's David Pierce claiming that it was able to sit well in his ears, actually even better than the EarPods, even as he was running.
There will be no sure way to know how well the AirPods stay in the ears of wearers until the wireless earbuds are released next month.
The AirPods are equipped with Apple's new W1 chip for a reliable wireless connection, and have infrared sensors that are able to detect once they are worn by the user. They also have motion sensors to decrease external noise while in a phone call and can call up Siri with a double-touch.
