Apple's in-ear headphones finally, really available now

Remember those new in-ear headphones we heard about from Mr. Jobs himself back in September? Well, he promised them for October (see the giant slide behind him), and here we are, in December, and they've finally appeared. Each earbud's got its own woofer and tweeter, so be prepared for Master of Puppets to sound better than ever. They've got a built-in remote and mic -- yet curiously aren't compatible with the iPhone -- and they come with three sets of interchangeable silicone tips for small, medium, and large ears. Are you rocked to the very core of your existence yet? Well, the $79 price tag should finish the job.

[Thanks, Adam]

[White @ Dec 2nd 2008 9:52AM]

WHAT? Not compatible with the iPhone? wtf?

[tom @ Dec 2nd 2008 9:54AM]

They are more expensive than "MyPhonies"

[Tarnation @ Dec 2nd 2008 9:56AM]

That almost seems like something Sony would do.

[Funke, Tobias Dr. @ Dec 2nd 2008 9:56AM]

*Puts wallet back in pocket*

This is what I've resorted to doing with my iPhone headphones:
http://www.everythingicafe.com/forum/iphone-modifications/modded-iphone-headphones-7536.html

[Esat Dedezade @ Dec 2nd 2008 10:03AM]

Given the crapness that was their old in ear headphones which were expensive and performed poorly, I think I'll pass. Id rather have a low end pair of Shures.

[Lloytron @ Dec 2nd 2008 10:29AM]

Where is iEye when you need him?

[Mic2000 @ Dec 2nd 2008 11:05AM]

899 for a Cinema Display, 79 for some ear headphones

What about the financial crisis? Apple is making one right now!

[derX @ Dec 2nd 2008 10:55AM]

In line waiting to make a $79 investment.

[yaniv.chokron @ Dec 2nd 2008 11:39AM]

My thoughts exactly ... WTF!!!!!
We heres a pointer to all those MicroSoft bashers who always touted apple.... there is no true good in the world. Apple suck just as much if not more than M$... so far people are forced into thier software, thier platform, no choices, no 3rd part developers..... maybe the company should chnage its name to яблоко (thats apple in Russian .. HA! I kill me).
Anwyays..... stupid mistake.

[ZIG @ Dec 2nd 2008 11:56AM]

i swear apple has really been getting on my nerves lately.. it's sad to see something that had the potential to be "different" is now just live every other corporate giant in america

[Ryan @ Dec 2nd 2008 12:25PM]

Does anyone know of third-party headphones at a similar price with similar features (i.e. play/pause & volume controls)?

[Messymeese @ Dec 2nd 2008 1:27PM]

I believe this is evidence of another iPhone around the corner, and this one's gonna be compatible with the in-ear headphones. Oh yea, and it's gonna have A2DP BT also...

Don't forget copy/paste, but, of course, copy/paste will only be available on the new iPhone; you'll need a jailbroken mod to add it to the EDGE and 3G iPhones, and the 1G and 2G iPod touches.

[Idlemind @ Dec 2nd 2008 1:32PM]

Every day, one step closer to being hated....

[mohammad7410 @ Dec 2nd 2008 1:41PM]

That price tag is a bag of hurt

[Mark @ Dec 2nd 2008 2:37PM]

While my in-ears don't have a built-in remote, they did come for free with my Zune and they're pretty decent.

[OneLove @ Dec 2nd 2008 2:51PM]

Think Differently Mr. Mobs!

[Leo @ Dec 2nd 2008 4:18PM]

They are compatible, what is going on with the massive amounts of smear against apple lately. The volume controls don't work with the iPhone, but everything else (mic included) does. Once these are actually shipping you will probably see an update for the iPhone allowing full volume control as well.

[cc @ Dec 2nd 2008 5:19PM]

Leo, thanks for actually adding something to the conversation. If the volume does indeed end up working with the iPhone, they're actually not a bad deal. People here complaining about the price have obviously never looked into what a good set of in-ear high quality phones with mic and iPhone control cost... the cheapest alternative to this seems to be the V-Moda Vibe Duo, which are retailing around $100 last I checked.

[El Taco @ Dec 2nd 2008 5:41PM]

I agree. No iphone compatibility = bag of hurt.

[Kris @ Dec 2nd 2008 9:01PM]

WTF? Apple fail.

[Smoke_Dawg_187 @ Dec 2nd 2008 9:53AM]

I'll take the MyPhonnies set... oh wait they're still $80. Doh!

[protozoider @ Dec 3rd 2008 9:49AM]

No kidding. That simpsons episode was right on and this new set of headphones... that just solidifies everything about that episode. Apple is just like Nike was in the Air Jordan years. Really cheap chinese made shoes for an extremely high price.

[Jay @ Dec 2nd 2008 9:56AM]

Following tradition I expect we will soon hear people claiming Apple invented in-ear headphones.

[Samboini @ Dec 2nd 2008 10:17AM]

In fact you'll find Apple invented sound, so yes your suggestion is logical.

[anon @ Dec 2nd 2008 10:49AM]

Just because Al Gore is on the Board of Directors at Apple ...

[Messymeese @ Dec 2nd 2008 1:35PM]

Uhh, woah? Yikes, I didn't know that until now. Surprised I never heard... No wonder they claim that all there products are green, I even heard someone complaining about the green tint of their 2G iPod touch LCD.

[blankhorizons @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:19PM]

I met with an Apple consultant recently that claimed that Apple invented the concept of remote desktop. I almost laughed in the middle of the meeting, I swear to god.

[me @ Dec 2nd 2008 8:25PM]

This fantastic!

Apple is finally tapping into the gullibly stup*d and big-spending demograph that is the Audiophiles! Combined with the Apple cult-base, they are going to be able to squeeze even more money out of the gullibles by providing even less than ever before!

I predict in a few weeks time, they will sell a special USB cable for the iPods and iPhones which will provide highest fidelity of music file transfer from your MacBooks, as well as charge your iGadgets faster than any other cable, because it contains a strand of Steve Jobs' hair. And it will only cost $49.99.

[Riley @ Dec 3rd 2008 2:45AM]

so they'll be cheaper than buying them at Best Buy?

[Aaron @ Dec 2nd 2008 9:57AM]

Any reviews available yet? How do they compare to Shure and Sennheiser headphones of a similar price?

[boulderhorn @ Dec 2nd 2008 4:05PM]

Don't forget to add the Etymotic HF2s to that list... Not bad at all and you can get them on eBay for a ton less than retail...

[kal326 @ Dec 2nd 2008 9:57AM]

What they work with the touch, but not the iPhone? Are they waiting to release a $19.99 adapter set that makes it work?

[iceman @ Dec 2nd 2008 10:14AM]

they are not compatible because of the iphone headphone jack is not made to accept signals for changing volume through the headphone clicker. i think you can use them with your iphone and accept calls with the clicker, but you will not be able to change the volume with the buttons

[Matt @ Dec 2nd 2008 11:21AM]

Please, they won't make an adapter, they'll just release a new headphone compatible version of the iPhone.

[LiQuiD_FuSioN @ Dec 2nd 2008 12:46PM]

And here I thought that the product delay was due to Apple working diligently to make these headphones iPhone-compatible.

[Patriks7 @ Dec 2nd 2008 12:57PM]

And they will cost 20$ more than these, just because of that 1 "feature" that should have been there in the first place :p

[Mobius_1 @ Dec 2nd 2008 2:17PM]

Nah, they'll just release a new iPhone which is compatible with it.

[DeoWulf @ Dec 2nd 2008 5:22PM]

I would have thought making it work for all touchscreen devices would be paramount-- you can't even feel the play/pause button while it's in your pocket.

[Jeffrey @ Dec 2nd 2008 8:01PM]

yea just like they are making me buy a $30 video adapter to use my new macbook pro with any display other than the new cinema display

[Michael @ Dec 2nd 2008 9:58AM]

$79? Is this some kind of sick joke?
God Apple is a ridiculous company....

[Galley @ Dec 2nd 2008 10:01AM]

Other dual-driver models can run close to $200, so calm down.

[mm @ Dec 2nd 2008 10:02AM]

Get MyPhonies.

[kurt.tappe @ Dec 2nd 2008 10:07AM]

The $79 isn't the ridiculous part. The not working with the iPhone is the batshit ridiculous part. I usually defend Apple but I can't find a leg to stand on to do so in this case.

[WhatTheXToTheZ @ Dec 2nd 2008 12:33PM]

You can just get a pair of very very good earphones from Sony on Amazon for about the same price. I am using a $20 (on sale) pair of headphones along with the stock Meizu M6 earphones and both work well enough.

^For those that don't know what the M6 is, seriously, get off these forums!

[Messymeese @ Dec 2nd 2008 1:49PM]

Ok, I might consider leaving, but first fill me in; what are the M6's?

[Messymeese @ Dec 2nd 2008 1:50PM]

Oh, duh, now I remember... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M6_mine

[WhatTheXToTheZ @ Dec 2nd 2008 2:50PM]

^^Lol, close enough. Both give quite an audible "blast"... lol pretty corny joke.

[Paul Chapel @ Dec 2nd 2008 9:58AM]

Love the remote features and microphone. This is a great innovation that doesn't get talked about a lot, but it's essential for people who don't want to constantly be looking at their iPod to change the music. Now my only question is whether the microphone will interact with any of the VoIP apps available in iTunes.

[eggothewaffle @ Dec 2nd 2008 10:02AM]

It's funny, my Samsung headphones can do that as well. You know what's the best part though? Not having to deal with wires since they're A2DP-

...Oh.

We're talking about the iPhone here.

Never mind.

[Jay @ Dec 2nd 2008 10:11AM]

2 minutes... Wow, that was faster than I would have guessed.