How did Apple’s AirPods go from mockery to millennial status symbol?

Back in 2016, Apple's wireless earbuds were ridiculed by the tech industry. Now, thousands of memes later, the tables have turned

Of all the widely ridiculed tech products, Apple's AirPods have experienced an extraordinary turnaround. Back in 2016, they were roundly mocked by the tech industry. Tiny wireless earbuds? It seemed like a recipe for disaster - streets would be littered with these lost headphones, which would clutter up city pavements like discarded gloves and babies' socks.

"If only there were an invention that could keep those AirPods tethered together, like a string," wrote Ashley Esqueda from the tech website CNET on Twitter. "The beauty of the headphone cable is just like the beauty of a tampon string: it is there to help you keep track of a very important item," wrote Julia Carrie Wong in the Guardian.

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