Not who you are replying to but my $30 wired Apple earbuds (came with my 6S) have outlived all of my co-workers half dozen $160 AirPods. That’s reason enough for a lot of people.

For $8.99 you can buy a high quality USB-C (or lightning) DAC with a 3.5mm output directly from Apple.

It's tiny and lightweight. I keep one in the back of my headphone case.

There are never enough USB-C ports.

You can buy Apples wired earbuds with the lightning connector for $18. Or the lightning to 3.5mm adapter (that’s what I have because I also still have my decade old original earbuds).

Yeah I agree, that is a very valid reason by itself.

My wired Shure in ear monitors have much better sound quality, and battery management on AirPods is pretty annoying. Even when they’re not running out mid-trip, it’s just unnecessary mental overhead to keep another thing charged.

For me it’s because

- I already have high quality earphones, same set for many years

- they don’t require charging

- audio quality is great

- they’ll work on any device with a 3.5mm jack, no proprietary lock-ins

- I have never lost a set of earphones and if I did replacement wouldn’t break the bank

I don't daily drive my phone for commuting anymore, but the trade-offs aren't exactly new: - battery frustrations - cost of a dozen cheap but good quality headphones vs a wireless equivalent - easier to lose wireless headsets when you put them down somewhere (wired too, but way cheaper so less big deal) - audio quality? Who knows

For people that demand noise cancelling, you need an active power source, but I personally hate noise cancellation and always turn them off. Maybe valuable in a plane with lots of engine noise.

Easier to store vs bulky charging case and charger and charger cable etc. The wired solution is more portable, believe it or not.

Simpler interface to debug and fix than bluetooth.