Headphones, Apple's One Lone Vulnerability

By now it is no secret that Apple's earbuds are atrocious. And this is puzzling considering how the tech giant has excelled in just about every other market that they have entered (personal computer, smart phone, digital media player, etc.). When it comes down to it, every single aspect about Apple's earbuds is absolutely awful. The fact that they come packaged with each iPod and iPhone means that they have to be cheap to a certain extent, but Apple goes way too far is ensuring how cheap they are. First of all, they are just plain uncomfortable to use for an extended period of time. The way the hard plastic earbuds sit in my ear starts to generate pain in about half and hour of use. Second of all is the sound quality. It's tinny and lacks any sort of overall warmth and any real bass.

Past how awful they are, the real crime with these earbuds are how expensive they are when purchased by themselves. Apple's earbuds clock in at an unbelievable thirty dollars. My current pair of JVC Marshmallow's cost me half that, and their quality is easily double or even triple that of Apple's earbuds. Certainly you pay a premium over the competition on Apple's products for the superior quality, but when it comes to earbuds you pay a premium only for the brand image. I love Apple to death, but that is just wrong.

What are your thoughts?