What’s not to like?
I remain convinced that Apple should offer AirPods in a range of colors. That’s not merely because I don’t like white, or other people mislike it, but also because wearing AirPods becomes a flashing light to tell people you have an iPhone in your pocket. Perhaps this feeling reflects Big City living, but I like to disguise things in plain sight; having additional colors would help. Apple, of course, will probably argue that much of the same technology is also built into some of the earbuds and headphones it sells under its Beats brand. But I believe the decision to stick with white is an homage to the trademark white earbuds that became so prevalent with the iPod.
But have times not changed since the iPod years? Is conspicuous consumption quite as socially acceptable as it might have been at that time, or are we in a new consumer sustainability age that benefits from choice and discretion? I imagine Apple’s teams of social psychologists will know the answer to that, but so far AirPods remain available only in easy-to-identify white.
Buying advice
AirPods Pro 3 are so much more than the color, of course. They represent impressive technology marvels in their own right, contraptions that combine Apple’s advanced research in silicon and audio design with its operating systems, services, and Apple Intelligence. The focus on health and inclusion of health sensors, new design, and live translation features may be the big selling points to these devices (and some of those features are also coming to other AirPod models with iOS 26). But for me, the improved fit, enhanced ANC and fantastic audio define AirPods Pro 3.
