The easy pairing / switching between devices. There are cheaper wireless headphones out there, ones with longer batter life, ones with better sound (haven't tried the pros yet myself), but none pair as easily. Supposedly the next version of bluetooth will enable all devices to do that, but we're not there yet.
"W1 chip makes for seamless pairing: Apple's custom Bluetooth chip, the W1, is designed to allow for automatic pairing with Apple devices running iOS 10 or later, WatchOS 3 or later or MacOS Sierra or later. And it totally delivers: Just place the headphones near your compatible device and they'll automatically be detected and ask for pairing, no diving into settings menu needed. You can also transition easily between Apple devices, toggling between the sound of your computer to that of your iPhone or iPad. For Apple Watch owners, that seamless transition between Watch and iPhone is critical, and it's one reason that AirPods are something of an appealing accessory for Watch owners. "
> They only work perfectly with Apple devices
You're correct that the seamless pairing feature only works on apple devices. On non-apple devices, they work equivalently - no worse or better really - than competing headphones. That doesn't mean that the pairing feature isn't very valuable for those of us willing to own more than one apple device.
