Wireless headphones are still way less popular than wired ones
Apple's got a new iPhone coming tomorrow, and the biggest expected change might not be much of an "upgrade" at all: the removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack. There's been an unhealthy amount of words spilled on why Apple wants to remove a ubiquitous standard from the most popular smartphone in the world, but the general consensus seems to be that wireless headphones are finally ready to become the norm.
But as this chart from Statista shows, that won't make the transition any less convenient for many people. While various reports this past July cited an NPD Group study that noted how Bluetooth headphones had outsold wired pairs for the first time, that statement only applied to dollar sales. When it came to actual units sold, an overwhelming amount of headphone shoppers are still going the old-fashioned way.
Why the discrepancy? Well, although the general price of Bluetooth headphones has come down over the years, wireless pairs still cost more than its wired equivalents. It's not the whole story, but given that Apple owns Beats, the number one seller of wireless headphones in America, it's probably worth keeping in mind the next time you wonder why things had to change.
