Earbuds

“

Now that there is a fine' piece a' work! Click to listen — The Engineer on the new technology

”

The Earbuds are a Misc. item wearable by all classes. They appear as a stylized version of the white Earbuds that normally come with the Apple iPod and iPhone. This limited edition item was intended to be awarded to players who launched TF2 on a Mac between June 10, 2010 and June 14, 2010, however the offer was later extended to the 16th of August. When worn, white musical notes are intermittently seen coming from the buds.

Trivia

The music note particle

• The white cords leading down from the player's ears are jiggleboned, meaning they move around and flex as influenced by player movement. That makes this item the first equippable to the Misc. slot to have this feature.
• The Earbuds and its wire always appear bright white, even when the wearer is in darkness. This is likely a reference to the iPod commercials in which white headphones were worn by silhouettes.
• With the advent of the trading system in the Mann-Conomy Update, it is now possible for PC only owners to trade for a set of Earbuds.
• This is the second official headwear item to include an inherent particle effect (comical musical notes in this case). The only other cosmetic items to feature a passive visual effect is the Cheater's Lament and all unusual items. Selfmade items and the Valve and Community weapons also feature a 'shine' particle effect.
• Although the Earbuds exclusive offer was extended by about two months to the 16th of August 2010, the Mac Update mini-site still reads "4 Days for the Taking".
• The Earbuds are the only Misc. item to have a particle effect.