As mentioned, the iPhone is awesome but the stock white Apple headsets are absolute shit. The sound quality is poor, they fit poorly in your ear and let in lots of ambient noise, and are generally boring and inflexible.
There have been a handful of iPhone headsets released so far, but really I have been surprised by the lack of quality iPhone accessories. Really, there are only a couple of unique features that a decent iPhone headset must have. For one, they must actually fit in the iPhone - most headsets do not. Secondly, they must have a mic for phone calls, as well as a button for call answering, play/pause and fast forwarding. These features are central to the iPhone itself really, and included in the stock Apple iPhone headsets.
I’ve been looking around for a decent set of headphones for a while, and it’s been very very frustrating. Take for example, V-Moda headsets that Apple sells in its stores for a cool $100. Current models don’t even have an answer/play/pause button, a feature of even the stock headset…although a model with this feature, called the V-Moda Nero should be available soon. Still, I’ve used the V-Modas for a short time, and they’re not worth the money.
I got a cheap pair of iPhone headsets off ebay for $10, and those broke in a day. Keep in mind that you’ll use these day in and day out, so they have to be very durable.
After another set of disappointing off-brand headsets, I finally settled on the Rivet headsets. These have all the requisite features, and also have kind of a cool around neck design. This is hard to explain, but you wear them around your neck, and the earphone cords come up to your ears from the back. The mic sits in front, so the setup is mostly unobtrusive, if a bit complex.
The Rivets also have an in-ear design that blocks ambient noise and has decent quality sound. They also have a durable protected cord that seems pretty high quality.
Best of all, they’re only $20 or so, including shipping. Stock iPhone headsets go for $30 - so they’re quite a steal. iPhone users, check them out. I’ve been through a bunch of these headsets, and the Rivets are actually very decent, especially considering their low price.
Below is a link to Amazon - great price, quick shipping.