As of November 30, 2025, the prediction splits into two parts with different levels of support.

1. "AirPods‑style earbuds will evolve into effective hearing aids" – largely correct

   • In September 2024, the U.S. FDA authorized Apple’s Hearing Aid Feature software, allowing AirPods Pro 2 to function as over‑the‑counter (OTC) hearing aids for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss. The FDA notes that in a clinical study, users of the self‑fitting AirPods setup achieved similar perceived benefit and amplification performance as professionally fitted hearing aids, and the feature is explicitly regulated as an OTC hearing‑aid device. (fda.gov)
   • Multiple reports in 2025 describe AirPods Pro 2 as “clinical grade” hearing aids once the software is enabled, and regulators in countries like the UK and Australia have also cleared them as medical devices for mild‑to‑moderate hearing loss. (thetimes.co.uk)
   • Coverage emphasizes that these AirPods‑based aids can meaningfully improve speech understanding and provide benefits comparable to traditional devices for the indicated population. (opb.org)
     Conclusion: The technical/medical part of the prediction—that AirPods‑style earbuds would become genuinely effective hearing aids—has clearly materialized.

2. "…and will become socially acceptable to wear almost continuously (effectively 24/7)" – not yet realized, and constrained

   • Battery and design limitations make continuous or all‑day wear impractical. Typical hearing aids are designed for 12–16+ hours per charge, whereas AirPods Pro 2 used as hearing aids get on the order of 4–6 hours before needing to go back in the case, a gap explicitly noted in consumer and tech reviews that recommend them for occasional or situational use rather than full‑time wear. (cnbc.com)
   • Experts commenting on the new AirPods hearing‑aid capabilities in markets like Australia and in U.S. coverage emphasize that they are “not ideal for all‑day wear” and best suited to situations like restaurants or TV watching, not round‑the‑clock use. (theguardian.com)
   • Health guidance continues to warn against wearing earbuds all day because of ear‑wax build‑up, infection risk, and potential hearing damage from long exposures—again at odds with normalized 24/7 use. (gadget-faqs.com)
   • Socially, while AirPods‑like devices clearly reduce the stigma of visible hearing aids and are framed as a way to make hearing support more acceptable, etiquette commentary still notes that keeping AirPods in during conversations tends to be read as rude rather than neutral, indicating norms have not shifted to “24/7 is fine” across everyday interactions. (opb.org)
   • Adoption data are still early: only a fraction of adults with hearing loss use any hearing aids at all, and reporting describes AirPods hearing‑aid features primarily as an entry point or situational assistive tech, not as a widely adopted, full‑time replacement for traditional hearing aids. (opb.org)
     Conclusion: The specific claim that these devices would become socially acceptable to wear almost continuously (effectively 24/7) has not come true yet and is actively limited by battery life, comfort, health concerns, and remaining etiquette norms.

3. Why the overall verdict is “ambiguous” rather than “right” or “wrong”

   • The core technological prediction (earbuds becoming real hearing aids) is clearly correct.
   • The social/behavioral prediction (24/7 socially acceptable continuous wear) is clearly not our present reality, but the prediction did not include a concrete time horizon, and social norms around wearables can evolve over many years.
   • Because one major component is already correct while the other is both unfulfilled and open‑ended in timing—and because “social acceptability” is inherently hard to measure definitively—it’s not accurate to call the entire prediction simply “right” or “wrong” at this point.

On balance, the evidence supports a mixed outcome: technically right, socially unfulfilled. Given the lack of a clear deadline and the normative nature of the second part, the fairest single label today is "ambiguous."