What better accessory to accompany the new-and-improved iPhone than a set of new-and-improved headphones?!? Here are some of the hot new features on Apple's freshest auditory accessory:

• Redesigned case for improved in-ear fitment and sound distribution.
• Exterior acoustic vents for increased bass.
• In-line microphone and volume remote.
• Dual-material speaker diaphragms to cut sound loss and increase output.
• Standard issue with any new iPhone 5, iPod Touch 5th Generation, or iPod Nano 7th Generation.

In case you were wondering, the EarPods have a model number of MD827LL/A.

Apple claims that their new EarPods perform at the same level as headphones that cost hundreds of dollars more, but these sweet beat makers will only cost you $29 (plus tax, if applicable).

Call us skeptics if you'd like, but we're not sure how that could be accomplished with a single-driver setup.

The first thing we notice (and already knew) is the totally redesigned shape of the EarPods. Apple seems to believe that cramming a perfectly round earbud into your ear is no smarter than trying to fit a square peg through a round hole.

• With the EarPods in your ears, it's actually pretty difficult for passersby to tell that your headphones aren't just good ol' Apple Earbuds.

  • If someone can tell, they either have quite an eye for detail, or they're way too close to your face.

The next noticeable design feature for the EarPods is that the main speaker port faces forward, rather than directly into your ear canal.

• Is sound that is not pointed directly at your ear drum better to listen to? We don't know, but that's the verdict of Apple's acousticians, and they get paid a lot of money to do what they do.

Apple had durability in mind with the new EarPods. Notice the new remote design (left), which includes larger cable wrapping near the remote than the previous earbuds (right) to reduce strain on the wires.

If you're using your EarPods with an iPhone or iPod, chances are you'll be stuffing them into your pocket or backpack a lot, which can put a lot of stress on the connections.

To make the new EarPods more resistant to water and sweat damage Apple's designers removed the external microphone grate.

• As an iFixit user rightfully pointed out to us, the previous microphone grate was for show only! We confirmed that no hole exists in the plastics. Thanks Todd!

It's finally time to crack these little guys open; this is a teardown, after all.

We prefer to use our guitar picks to shred a pair of EarPods instead of shredding a guitar (which would probably sound great through the EarPods).

The underside of the remote cover reveals three buttons and a microphone. No surprise here, as the remote has three buttons.

With a little more coaxing cutting, we are able to remove the flexible PCB within the EarPods' remote.

The microphone in the EarPods' remote bears the markings 2F17 045.

• Will this microphone be similar to one of the three microphones inside the iPhone 5? Probably. Will it be the same? All will be revealed in due time three more days.

We also uncover another IC with the markings TI25ASGVI 079, which Chipworks believes to be a Texas Instruments ADC, or a device used for volume-control duty.

• All these components look large when shot in our pictures, but they're quite small in real life. That's how the board looks like when compared to a U.S. dime.

As a reference, here's what the insides of the old remote look like: two turntables three buttons and a microphone.

The control board in the old earphones isn't nearly as sealed or secured as the new EarPods, leading to a common complaint among gym-goers finding that their sweet earphones don't work so well when doused in sweat.

The microphone reads: S262 9164.

With such a tight fit between the two halves of the EarPods, simply pulling them apart wasn't an option. We knew what we needed to do.

We don't normally cut open earbuds, but when we do, we prefer X-Acto #11 blades.

This isn't something you'd want to try at home. Once these Pods are open, they're not closing back up unless you want to involve glue.