The graphic above was created with data provided to me by the CTA (Consumer Technology Association). I understand that this data cannot possibly account for every single pair of Bluetooth-enabled speakers sold in any given year, but I believe that this is the most accurate account of data currently available to us.
According to the Bluetooth website, the first MP3 player with Bluetooth technology was created in 2003. Then in 2004, the first Bluetooth-enabled stereo headphones were available. In 2007, the iconic Jawbone headset made its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show (footnote 1). In 2008, Apple's iPhone 3GS incorporated Bluetooth. In 2012, annual shipments of product with Bluetooth surpassed 2 billion. But more importantly, in 2012, the first low-energy tablets and music players with Bluetooth hit the market!
This is why the CTA only began collecting data on Bluetooth-enabled speakers from 2012, as displayed in the charts above. Bluetooth-enabled speakers, though often relegated to being the audiophile club's default punching bag, are actually quite popular commodities in the mass market.
It's easy to lose sight of this—especially when we're surrounded by likeminded audiophiles; creatures who selectively seek and devour only the purest of sounds. The reality of a world run by Bluetooth seems nearly unthinkable . . . (footnote 2).
And yet here we find ourselves in late 2016: entering the chapter of the headphone-jack-less iPhone 7.
So we're left with two options: 1) Bluetooth, and 2) Lightning cables/adapters. Is this good or bad? Who can say? Personally, I'm excited to witness the developments of Bluetooth, to see how headphone manufacturers will adapt, and to take part in this enormous technological movement—for better or for worse.
Alas. Oh audiophiles of late, oh divine readers of Stereophile: what think you of the current state of the Bluetooth market?
Footnote 1: This isn't included on the Bluetooth website timeline, but I felt it to be a major event in Bluetooth history because the Jawbone stuck out in my memory of Bluetooth.—Jana Dagdagan Footnote 2: The problem for audiophiles with Bluetooth is that because the wireless link has limited bandwidth, the audio data have to be lossy-compressed, and the codec used affects sound quality. You can find measurements showing the effect of both the original codec and of the better-sounding aptX codec in our 2011 review of Chord's Chordette Gem, with further discussion in my 2014 review of Arcam's rBlink. Most Android smartphones have aptX, and aptX-enabled headphones are made by Beats, Bowers & Wilkins, Sennheiser, and others.—John Atkinson
This is why the CTA only began collecting data on Bluetooth-enabled speakers from 2012, as displayed in the charts above. Bluetooth-enabled speakers, though often relegated to being the audiophile club's default punching bag, are actually quite popular commodities in the mass market.
Footnote 1: This isn't included on the Bluetooth website timeline, but I felt it to be a major event in Bluetooth history because the Jawbone stuck out in my memory of Bluetooth.—Jana Dagdagan Footnote 2: The problem for audiophiles with Bluetooth is that because the wireless link has limited bandwidth, the audio data have to be lossy-compressed, and the codec used affects sound quality. You can find measurements showing the effect of both the original codec and of the better-sounding aptX codec in our 2011 review of Chord's Chordette Gem, with further discussion in my 2014 review of Arcam's rBlink. Most Android smartphones have aptX, and aptX-enabled headphones are made by Beats, Bowers & Wilkins, Sennheiser, and others.—John Atkinson
