I think this article misses the main reason the white wired Apple EarPods and their imitators are popular: they're great for phone calls. Wireless earbuds all have awful microphones, technical measures to mitigate this seem to be futile against the fact that they're sitting on the sides of your head while your mouth is on the front. Earpods make you sound good on calls while also being cheap and fashionable. That's the appeal for most people, I think, nothing to do with their suitability for music.