Music has improved dramatically over the last 10 years and it's not just the music itself that has developed; the way we listen to our music has advanced ever so much. 10 years ago cassettes were still on our shelves and CD's were poised to take the market, that was before MP3 players hit shops across the world and with that came the Big Daddy of them all - The iPod.

The iPod has revolutionised the way we listen to music, infact these days you don't necessarily have to even leave the house to purchase music and that's all down to Apple and their range of computers, coupled with the iPod in which then came iTunes - a place where anyone can download music to their computers to sync with their iPod, to CD's or simply to listen to on their computer. It's safe to say that Apple have achieved the best gadget of the decade in the iPod.

But what good is an iPod or indeed any portable music player without headphones? I doubt I have to answer that for you but of course headphones are as obligatory to iPods as tyres are to cars. We're living in an era where headphones are no longer headphones, they have taken on a whole new meaning as we parade around town showing off all our different types of fancy headphones. It's safe to say that headphones are now first and foremost a fashion statement; lets be honest, no matter how good a pair of headphones are, if they don't fit in with the latest trends then you're not going to buy them are you?

This is where Apple have come up with a winner with their classic set of headphones. Apple headphones have always been pretty much the same over the years and I think they're all the better for it. You can go out and buy all the latest £100 pairs of headphones that you like, but you'll look just as stylish with these because they have become synonymous with iPods, therefore as long as iPods continue to be seen not only as revolutionary music players but fashion statements then so will their brand of headphones.

Ever since I bought my first iPod about 5 years ago I have been an avid user of their brand of headphones. Apple have got the market sussed and it's unusual to think that iPods have come along so far over the years, now with touch screens and video cameras, whereas the headphones have stayed exactly the same, style wise. It just goes to show how far ahead of the competition Apple really are with the fact that they don't even feel the need to change the style of their headphones around 8 years after they were introduced to us.

I personally think that the design of the Apple headphones are perfectly in sync with their iPods no matter which iPod you have. They're of a lightweight and understated design in white with grey patches near the top. Apple iPod headphones aren't the best headphones in the market by far however it goes to show just how popular they are that people continue to use them even though there are far better quality headphones on the market that however fail to match Apple in the style stakes.

Apple headphones aren't the best, but it's safe to say that they're good enough for the average listener that wants to keep up with the trends whilst listening to their music on a fairly sturdy set of headphones. As far as sound quality goes the headphones are decent enough, they may not be as good as these Bose headphones that have recently taken the market by storm however given the choice to pay £100 for a pair of big clunky headphones as opposed to getting a pair of lightweight and stylish headphones free with your iPod I know which one I'd go for. I feel when it comes to sound quality this is where the Apple headphones lose some brownie points, this is of course the most important aspect of the headphones and it's the bass that suffers the terrible fate with these headphones. If you're someone that likes to get immersed in your music while you listen then these aren't the headphones for you, you can hear the music crisp and clearly however you lose out on the detail of the tracks as you are given a more synthetic sound through your iPod headphones. The sound isn't a rich quality that you'd expect with a more expensive pair of headphones however when weighing up the positives and the negatives of iPod headphones versus expensive pairs I just don't think the expensive pairs are worth it. Fortunately when at full volume the tracks don't get distorted and crackly which you'd expect in such a cheap pair.

That said these aren't the sort of headphones that you are able to become engrossed in your music with, they let out a lot of outside interference and when in a confined space you may receive some dirty looks from people around you for having your music loud, however it's got to be better than when kids play music through their phones whilst strutting up and down the street. The lack of pads around the headphones are what let the sound leave your ears and distract people around you, this is what some headphones now use however I find them very uncomfortable as they rub the side of your ears. I'm also not someone that likes to become completely absorbed in my music while I'm out and about. I like to be able to hear my music clearly whilst also being able to hear what's going on around me, like cars for example. The fact that these headphones let in outside disturbances like traffic means that they're not the sort of headphones that will easily give you a headache or leave your ears ringing. They aren't the loudest of headphones however I'm not the sort of person that likes to walk down the street with my headphones blaring just for the sake of it; as long as I can hear my music clearly then I'm happy and iPod headphones allow for that. The fact that these headphones aren't headache inducing, even at the highest volume means that there's a minimised risk of ear damage from loud music which so many people seem to be suffering with these days. If you're a parent looking for a suitable pair of headphones for your child but are worrying about the potential effects of hearing damage then these headphones are perfect.

Comfort wise these headphones are great, previous to owning an iPod I had always encountered problems with in ear headphones as they were inclined to slip out of my ears, which was irritating having to take my hands out of my pockets every 5 seconds to put them back in. They also just weren't very comfortable, so when I first bought an iPod I considered buying an on-ear pair of headphones that look incredibly dated and clunky but fail to slip on a regular basis. I was immediately impressed when using these, I go running every morning for around an hour and despite the odd slip after being in my ears for a considerable amount of time they don't slip regularly and on that basis I'm extremely impressed by these.

The headphone wire could do with being a little longer, I tend to have my iPod in my trouser pocket whilst listening to it, I'm not the tallest person in the world (around 5'6) but I find that sometimes I can feel them pulling, sometimes they are even pulled out of my ears if I happen to stretch them for whatever reason. This isn't a huge problem for me but for taller people I can see it being a major problem.

I find the headphones to be very reliable, I've had the pair that I have now for around 2 years and haven't encountered a single technical problem with them. I think it's strange when I read reviews slating them for being unreliable and breaking after only a few months. Every pair I've had have had absolutely no problem with them and that's with wear and tear. I would point out that you shouldn't wrap them around your iPod after using them, this may be an efficient way to pack them away but it can damage them and I imagine that's why a lot of people have encountered problems.

Overall you can't beat these headphones for style, quality and price. The sound quality may not be as good as some headphones but they're of a good (not great) quality that I plan on sticking with in the future. If my headphones ever break I will have no qualms about buying a new pair as they can be bought for the very reasonable price of £19.99. As aforementioned, there are a few minor niggles with them but on the whole they're a superb pair of headphones that have served me extremely well over the years.

Highly recommended.