Apple was criticized for its September 7, 2016 unveiling of the AirPods, because it was the end of the headphone jack — but the wireless earbuds went on to become a hit and spawn an entire industry.
Apple’s original AirPods
Apple’s original AirPods
Watch the 2016 announcement of AirPods now and what strikes you is how old everything seems — except the AirPods. They were announced alongside the iPhone 7, for example, which seemed so good then, yet it is so ancient that it even has a home button.
The same launch presentation also unveiled the Apple Watch Series 2, which at best seems a little quaint next to the Apple Watch Series 4 and later, or especially the Apple Watch Ultra.