iFixit

While an updated remote is nice, the real innovation in the EarPods is in the speakers.

Like most speakers, the speakers in the EarPods consist of a diaphragm/cone, a voice coil, a permanent magnet, and a cabinet.

Paper or Plastic? The voice coil is supported by a composite diaphragm made of a paper cone and a polymer surround. This is the first iteration of Apple headphones to use paper cones rather than all plastic.

The most exciting—and most widely publicized—feature of the EarPods is the unique teardrop-esque shape of the cabinet.

• Yet once these guys are open, things start looking quite similar to other earbuds.
• Apple spent a lot of time analyzing people's ears, so hopefully their external design will pay dividends in the auditory excellence department.

For the audiophiles, here are front and back views (top and bottom, respectively) of the separated drivers.

Apple's switch to paper-based speaker cones may be the source of their advertised improved low and mid-range response.

We also discovered that the speaker basket has a much more refined look than previous models (see comparison in next step), with a fine mesh covering the back and symmetrically-placed vents.

• The basket is a critical component, as it must be rigid to maintain consistent sound quality while still being open enough to not inhibit movement of air behind the vibrating diaphragm.

Hardly peas in a pod, different revisions of Apple earbuds exhibit some drastic changes in internal construction and driver design.

From the top, we have:

• Previous-generation iPhone earbuds
• First-generation iPod earbuds
• New-generation Apple EarPods

The most notable differences separating the EarPods are just what you'd expect—a drastically redesigned housing, and a new material for the speaker cone.

At iFixit, our bottom line is durability and repairability, and their impact on electronics waste.

The new Apple EarPods do have significant improvements in durability:

• The new remote is better sealed against water damage, and features strain relief wrapping to increase the life of the cable.
• Paper speaker cones are more resistant to tearing than plastic, decreasing the likelihood of blowing out your drivers.

But unfortunately, these products are still of the throw-away kind. Sourcing parts is next to impossible, and it would be a tough sell to convince someone to take apart their earbuds instead of buying a new pair. They will never be the same once taken apart.