I don't get the convenience argument for wireless earbuds. I am the only person in our family without wireless earbuds, so I see wireless buds users up close daily, and it's a pretty common occurrence that someone can't find their buds, or the case isn't charged, or something won't connect. Seeing all these alternative inconveniences to a thin wire doesn't convince me to go wireless at all.

All these people will be complaining about hearing loss in twenty years time. I had to stop using ear buds because they were giving me an ear infection.

So if you "share" a track by each person using one ear-thingie, does stereo separation mess it up ? How many audio players (HW or SW) have a "mono" button ?

I think this article misses the main reason the white wired Apple EarPods and their imitators are popular: they're great for phone calls. Wireless earbuds all have awful microphones, technical measures to mitigate this seem to be futile against the fact that they're sitting on the sides of your head while your mouth is on the front. Earpods make you sound good on calls while also being cheap and fashionable. That's the appeal for most people, I think, nothing to do with their suitability for music.