Also, the airpods have some serious bluetooth headset douchbag factor going on. Shoulda made them skin color tones to offset it a bit.
When the iPod first came out, the white earbuds were a sign that you were listening to an iPod and not to some cheap Walkman. (There was a period of time when people were advised not to wear them in some places, because advertising that you had a $500 gadget in your pocket was a good way to get mugged.) That sort of thing isn't accidental.
These look to be the same way. They're not supposed to blend in, because at least some of the people who buy them initially want to be seen wearing them. At some point in the future once that market is saturated, I suspect Apple will come out with a more subtle version (probably in black, not flesh-toned; it's been a long time since Apple has done earth/skin tones).
And who knows, for all the ragging on Apple for making form-over-function decisions right now, that part sticking out improves performance. Gotta wait to see what they're actually like to use.
Funny story: the other talking to the CEO of a mega corporation. They fired a senior person here, #1 employee. Told him about it, he did even know it happened. And she reported to him. He thought she was on vacation.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
A stark white is perfect: high-contrast, but not flashy.