Apple leads headphone market in US: Study

Nearly 50 per cent of polled US consumers own either Apple’s AirPods or a product from Apple’s Beats lineup, according to a recent study.

The study, by Statista, asked 4,220 adults between the ages of 18 and 64 in the US about the headphones they use. It found that 34.4 per cent of the responders used Apple’s AirPods, reports AppleInsider.

Perhaps even more interesting was the fact that the second-highest share was Beats by Dre, also produced by Apple. Beats accounted for 15.3 per cent of the market.

The remaining shares were Bose at 12.5 per cent, Samsung at 12.2 per cent, JBL and Sony each accounted for 11.4 per cent, Skullcandy at 8.4 per cent, and LG Electronics at 7.0 per cent.

Launched in 2016, AirPods were Apple’s first foray into wireless earbuds. Since then, Apple has expanded the lineup to include the higher-end AirPods Pro and the over-ear headphones AirPods Max.

In 2020, Apple’s AirPods and Beats dominated the audio wearable market.

The company shipped an estimated 108.9 million AirPods and Beats devices throughout the year, the report said.