Interesting AirPods Facts 2023: AirPods Revenue, Release Date, Units Sold

Here are the latest interesting facts about AirPods.

Find out:

• AirPods revenue
• Release dates
• How many AirPods have been sold
• Where they’re made

Did you know it’s estimated Apple sold over 150 million units of AirPods? Get more facts below.

AirPods revenue

AirPods revenue comparison vs tech companies 2021

How does AirPods revenue compare to other Apple products?

How many AirPods have been sold?

How many AirPods are sold each year?

When were AirPods first made/released?

Where are AirPods made?

Interesting Facts About AirPods

• Apple made $14.5 billion of revenue in 2022 from AirPods sales alone.
• AirPods revenue is more than the revenue of Spotify, Twitter, or Shopify.
• It’s estimated over 150 million units of AirPods have been sold so far.
• AirPods were first announced on September 7, 2016, and the first generation AirPods were released on December 13, 2016.
• Most AirPods are made in China, while some are made in Vietnam.

AirPods revenue

Apple made $12.1 billion of revenue in 2021 from AirPods sales alone.

Apple doesn’t disclose the exact numbers for AirPods alone. This is the estimated revenue for AirPods from combined sources.

AirPods revenue chart:

Here’s a table of AirPods revenue per year:

The AirPods were released at the end of 2016, so the first data available is in 2017.

The AirPods revenue is growing on average at 64.55% per year, though growth seems to be slowing down.

Apple sold $13.5 billion worth of wearables in Q1 2023 alone.

That’s actually less than in Q1 2022, when they earned $14.7 billion from wearables sales.

(Apple’s annual reports)

AirPods revenue comparison vs. tech companies 2021

AirPods 2021 revenue estimate is $12.1 billion, more than the revenue of Spotify, Twitter, or Shopify.

Here’s a table of AirPods revenue comparison vs. tech companies in 2021:

The AirPods revenue alone is bigger than that of many tech companies. But not as big as some sources portray.

The AirPods revenue in 2020 was likely not $23.05 billion, as often cited. In Apple’s annual reports, you can clearly see that they made $30.62 billion in the Wearables, Home, and Accessories category. The category includes AirPods, Apple Watch, Apple TV, Beats headphones, HomePod, iPods, and Apple accessories.

The estimate that AirPods sales alone represent 75% of the category is dubious.

How does AirPods revenue compare to other Apple products?

AirPods revenue is smaller than that of iPhone, Mac, or iPad. But the relative growth is bigger than any of the mentioned categories.

Apple revenue by category

How many AirPods have been sold?

The number of AirPods sold is growing each year. It’s estimated over 150 million units of AirPods have been sold so far.

And over 100 million people are using them right now. This data is based on the Above Avalon numbers.

• 30% of people use more than one pair of AirPods, according to a survey.
• And 41% of respondents who bought new AirPods with wireless charging say they’re still using their old AirPods as a secondary pair.

(Above Avalon 2)

How many AirPods are being sold?

Apple sold 19.3 million units of AirPods in Q1 2022 alone, according to Canalys.

All true wireless (TWS) headphones shipments in 2022 are 105.3 million units, with at least 4.2 million units representing the latest Apple AirPods Pro 2. The new Pro model also accounted for 63% of all AirPods shipments in Q4 2022.

• In the TWS market, AirPods had a 35.8% market share in Q4 2022.

Apple TWS & AirPods shipments in Q4 2022 and Q1 2022:

Apple shipped 91.4 million of their TWS headphones in 2022.

In 2021, it managed to ship 92.7 million TWS headphones, which is 1.4% less than in 2022.

(Canalys 6)

How many AirPods are sold each year?

It’s estimated Apple sold around 58 million units of AirPods in 2021.

AirPods sold per year:

Today Apple is selling way over 10 million AirPods per quarter. The first time they got the milestone was in 2019.

And that’s not surprising, as the AirPod lifespan isn’t that long.

The average selling price of AirPods is estimated at over $200 per unit, according to the Above Avalon source.

(Above Avalon 1)

AirPods release date

AirPods were first announced on September 7, 2016, and the first generation AirPods were released on December 13, 2016.

Here’s a table of AirPods release dates for all models:

How much does Apple profit from selling a single unit of AirPods?

Apple makes around $63.2 for each unit of AirPods 3^rd gen. sold assuming their average gross margin.

The company doesn’t disclose the gross margin for AirPods alone. But assuming the average product gross margin in 2021 was 35.3%, the numbers are:

Exact margins might differ from model to model. These numbers are estimated based on Apple’s 2021 Annual report data. (Apple’s 10-K Annual Filings)

(Apple’s annual reports)

Where are AirPods made?

Most AirPods are made in China, while some, around 30%, are made in Vietnam.

• AirPods 1^st gen. were made in China.
• AirPods 2^nd gen. are made in China and Vietnam.
• AirPods Pro are made in China and Vietnam.
• AirPods Max are made in China and Vietnam (by Chinese companies, Luxshare and Goertek).
• Airpods 3^rd gen. are made in China and Vietnam.
• AirPods Pro 2 are allegedly being made in Vietnam.

A small number of AirPods are made in Japan too, but to ensure you have an authentic product, check the serial number.

When did AirPods become popular?

AirPods were announced on September 7, 2016, and the first units were available in Dec 13 of the same year. They didn’t get a big, major red carpet event. They were unveiled to the world in a 5-minute press release event.

In 2018, 2 years after its release, AirPods became the most popular, most-sold Apple accessory, becoming a staple product for Apple.

Today Apple is selling more AirPods than Apple watches, iPads, iPods, or Macs.

Conclusion

These were the AirPods facts and statistics. The true wireless earbuds are becoming a strong revenue generator for the brand even though they started as an accessory to the iPhone 7.

What do you think is the future for AirPods? Let us know in the comments below.

Matija Ferjan

Matija Ferjan is a seasoned audio enthusiast reviewing headphones since 2015. He has personally tested hundreds of headphones and earbuds. He’s an active member of the Headphone Audio community and a true nitpicker, always looking for the “best-value-for-money” headphones.