It doesn’t take more than two eyes to see the amount of students that wear Airpods. Originally made to listen to music, they’ve come to represent much more than that. Whether it’s to jam along with one’s favorite artist or display social status, the boundary between those two reasons has become blurred. When asked if Airpods were mostly for looks rather than for usage, North high students didn’t hold back their thoughts.

“ Why do I wear Airpods? To flex. I’m not even listening to anything right now. I think people buy them more for the look, they’re pretty amazing. They are so lightweight and I can hear people talk as I listen to music. When the generation three come out, they’ll rule,” Senior Mitchell Honafin said.

“ I definitely feel that for sometime they were a way to show you’re better than other people, but now I’m not sure if it’s still like that or if it’s just a thing everybody has so you buy them to fit in.  I honestly do feel like Airpods are used for looks. Here’s the thing, there’s so many wireless earbuds out there that are super affordable, but are from unknown brands. Why pay more than one hundred dollars for some wireless earbuds? People simply buy them because they’re apple, and will make them seem cool,” Junior Alyssa Goerzen said. 

It’s safe to say that Apple has done it again. Not only have they created the ultimate wireless earbuds, but they’ve set the standards high for earbud users. Although the first generation Airpods was released on December 13, 2016, they didn’t gain popularity until around 2018. With the second generation of Airpods released in March of 2019 and the third generation coming out soon, many people have been wondering if they’re worth the price.

“I’ve heard the third generation are coming out soon and I feel like they’ll continue to be popular among people even if they aren’t worth it.. I’m not sure when the “trend” will stop or if it will stop,” Goerzen said. 

According to many, although a social symbolism does play a major role in their popularity, it’s their convenience what makes them so special. How are they convenient? They have their own charging case, a long-lasting charge life, and a simple yet appealing design that goes with anyone and everything.

“ I think that what makes them so convenient is that they don’t have wires. Aside from that, they’re cool, and make the person who’s wearing them cool as well,” sophomore Dalia Esparza said.

” I personally bought Airpods because they’re wireless. I think that what makes them so special is that they are easy to use. For example, having earbud chords in front of you while working out isn’t very convenient at least for me, while Airpods, they’re simply in your ears,” Junior Juan Carlitos Wilcox said. 

Although with time trends tend to fade, Airpods despite their high price tag have definitely changed the style in which people listen to music. With their past popularity and their third generation soon to be released, it wouldn’t be a surprise if more people join the Airpod fan club wether its for the looks or the usage.