Q: Why is one earbud cord longer than the other?

A: On some earbuds you'll notice the length of cord is longer on one side than the other. This is by design and serves a couple of functions. Having different lengths makes it easier to wrap the longer cord behind your neck. Wearing the earbuds like this keeps the slack away from your face when moving around.

Also, uneven cords are better when you are carrying around your mp3 player in your pocket. If you keep the mp3 player in the pocket on the same side as the shorter cord, your earbuds will hang more evenly. When you have earbuds with an even amount of cord on both sides, the earbud on the opposite side of the mp3 player will have additional strain on it. This is because the it is being pulled across your body instead of directly down like when there are uneven cords.