Apple just announced the AirPods Pro, and they’re some of the ugliest wireless earbuds I’ve ever seen. Sure, everyone shot down the original AirPods at first (and then they became a must-have cult item), but these new buds are downright weird. Thankfully I’m not the only one who thinks AirPods Pro are a no-go.
Not long after Apple’s blog post hit the internet, Twitter users took to meme-ing the heck out of the quirky redesign.
The internet is fast pic.twitter.com/b8gvafgQ5QOctober 28, 2019
Tech influencer Marques Brownlee paired a promo picture of the AirPods Pro with Bellsprout, the grass-type Pokémon with a bell-shaped head. With its horn-like beak, cultural icon Nook Nook Penguin kind of looks like AirPods Pro, too.
Brownlee also included an image of a hairdryer, but we saw Business Insider reporter Monica Chin tweet that comparison first.
I’m so happy to see Apple finally expanding into one of the most exciting new areas of consumer tech, miniature hairdryers https://t.co/NQT3zNgHkrOctober 28, 2019
Something about the new in-ear tips and shortened stems seem to lend a familiar look to the AirPods Pro. The elongated tunnel designed to send tunes deep into ear canals while cancelling outside sound reminds TIME editor Alex Fitzpatrick of Birdo from the Super Mario franchise.
I'm very sorry pic.twitter.com/QqXLjFjxK4October 28, 2019
But that wasn’t the sole Mario reference. Twitter user Super Smith thinks AirPods Pro look like the water gun from Super Mario Sunshine.
Mario had some AirPods Pro too. pic.twitter.com/XjZWQh58KEOctober 28, 2019
Though these memes are entertaining, they don’t change the fact that Apple made an… interesting choice with the AirPods Pro design. I’m not sure what the Cupertino company was going for, but I’m sure it wasn’t in the realm of red-hatted plumbers and Pokémon. Still, the classic AirPods design became common fashion shortly after being the butt of everyone's jokes, so we're curious how the public will take to the AirPods Pro once they hit shelves on Oct. 30.
