How not to lose your AirPods: Put them on a $60 cord
Scared of losing your AirPods? Here's one way to secure the pricey, cordless earbuds: Attach them to a cord. Nordstrom is selling a $60 leather "AirPod Carrying Strap."
"Avoid losing your wireless AirPods by attaching them to this magnetic-locking leather strap," reads the description of the product, which the retailer recommends "wearing around the neck when not in use."
More than 5,000 online shoppers were viewing the accessory Tuesday afternoon, according to website analytics.
It's understandable why consumers would be leery of losing AirPods. It costs at least $69 to replace each bud not under warranty. The company charges $59 for a plug-in case, and $69 for a new wireless case. Apple recently released AirPods Pro, which cost $249 and come with silicone tips that users say help them stay in place. Those cost $89 each to replace.
Some Nordstrom shoppers panned the cords.
"Doesn't this defeat the purpose of air pods? If you buy and wear these you'll look doubly ridiculous," one person said on the retailer's website.
"Y'all, we are completely full circle on this one," another wrote.
Consumers are expected to spend at least $700 million this year just to replace lost AirPods and charging cases in 2019, according to one Wall Street analyst's estimate.
Dan Ives of WedBush Securities estimates that Apple will sell roughly 62 million sets of AirPods this year, generating around $10 billion to $12 billion in sales — a sweet little niche for a company reporting a total of $260 billion in sales during the fiscal year that ended Sept. 28.
