AirPods are officially the most popular debut Apple product

Wilfred Collins May 2, 2017

When you think of Apple’s most popular products, it’s perhaps the classic iPod, iPhone, iPad or the MacBook Pro that will come to mind. All of these hit it big with consumers and (mostly) remain highly popular. It’s also pretty safe to say that these devices have greatly influenced our everyday lives and the tech world alike.

AirPods are officially the most popular debut Apple product

However, in the user satisfaction game a surprising entry has come top of the list. Apple’s AirPods, which launched last year alongside the iPhone 7, have received a 98% satisfaction rating in their debut year. This makes them the most popular product that Apple has ever launched.

To put that into perspective, the first iPhone received a 92% rating on release way back in 2007. Of course, Apple has now sold millions of iPhones and probably won’t sell half as many AirPods, but in terms of year-one feedback, AirPods are king.

Apple products do tend to score well, and 92% is by no means a poor performance for a new product. In fact, compared to satisfaction ratings in other sectors, it’s outstanding. In 2015 Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media all scored between 48-52% satisfaction ratings for their respective broadband offerings. So Apple was already leaps and bounds ahead with its customers, albeit in a very different market.

Nevertheless, Apple’s success with the AirPods will be surprising, especially given the outrage that amassed when the company revealed that the iPhone 7 didn’t have a headphone jack.

Mobs almost formed in the street when Apple let the cat out of the bag, but users seem to like Apple’s alternative wireless offering. So why are they such a hit? AirPod users cited “sound quality,” “convenience,” and “battery life” among the top reasons to love the Apple headphones.

Furthermore, users were highly likely to recommend the product to friends and family – in fact, so much so that Apple AirPod orders are currently backdated by six weeks. If you’d like to nab a pair, you’ll have to wait – for a few weeks, at least.