A fast-fashion brand selling fake, nonfunctional 'ear pieces' reveals AirPods' transformation into a millennial style symbol
- ASOS is now selling nonfunctional ear pieces that look like silver Apple AirPods for $9.50.
- The fact that the fast-fashion brand believes some people will spend nearly $10 on a useless accessory reveals AirPods' cultural dominance as a millennial style icon.
- Apple's wearables, home, and accessories division, which includes products like the Apple Watch and AirPods, brought in $5.5 billion in the most recent quarter - beating out the iPad in terms of net sales.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
AirPods' transformation into a millennial style icon is now complete, as a fast-fashion brand crafts a nonfunctional knockoff.
ASOS is now selling a nonfunctional "faux headphone ear piece in silver tone," a bizarre product that Retail Dive identified as a "fake, and totally useless, AirPod."
The single ear piece - which, again, does not work - costs $9.50.
The fact that fast-fashion brand ASOS believes that some people will spend about $10 on something that looks like Apple's AirPods reveals the earphones' cultural dominance.
Apple's wearables, home, and accessories division, which includes products like the Apple Watch and AirPods, accounted for $5.5 billion in net sales in the most recent quarter. For comparison, the iPad unit accounted for $5 billion in net sales.
Business Insider's Lisa Eadicicco reported that analysts from Keybanc Capital Markets and Nomura pointed to AirPods specifically as growth drivers for the quarter. And, the product's success is matched with growing cultural relevance.
"What makes AirPods particularly special is that, like the iPhone, they've become a status symbol," Eadicicco reports. "Though they were mocked when Apple unveiled them in 2016, AirPods quickly caught on and became the center of popular memes, particularly ones that poked fun at the headphones' price."