Apple’s story is shifting thanks to the massive success of AirPods

Apple’s App Store growth appears to have slowed in 2019, a potentially negative sign for the company’s focus on growing its services business to offset weaker iPhone sales.

But even though the Apple story has been tied to services for the last couple of years, a lot of the attention has actually shifted to the company’s wearables business, which includes AirPods, Apple Watch and the lineup of Beats headphones.

AirPods have absorbed most of the attention. Apple introduced two new versions of AirPods in 2019: an update to the “regular” model that has better battery life and an optional wireless charging case, and the Pro model that features a new design and noise cancellation.

Besides the iPhone, AirPods appear to be Apple’s smash hit of the holiday shopping season. AirPods Pro, which went on sale in October 2019, still have a month-long wait if you order them from Apple’s website, although you might get lucky finding a pair at an Apple retail store. And don’t count out the Apple Watch either. The Apple Watch lineup is also more attractive than ever, with 2017′s Series 3 model starting at $199.

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