Translating conversations in real time is cool, but I need that feature how often? I switch my earbuds between my phone and laptop multiple times a day and it's a pain for every pair of bluetooth earbuds ever.
At least Apple tried to solve the problem. Google appears to be acting like Samsung here, adding gimmicks while releasing a lesser product.
Another way of looking at this is that Apple just made another set of wireless headphones whereas Google put out the first iteration of something quite useful that has larger long-term potential.
(I only say it this way for the sake of argument, not as some type of Google or Apple "fan" statement.)
I personally don't deal with frequent pairing and unpairing of bluetooth headphones. I don't even own a pair (just some cheap earbuds and some pretty decent Sennheisers). As such I didn't even realize there was a problem being solved by Apple putting out another model of BT earbuds.
But I am in a relationship with someone for whom English is a second language. She's a great English speaker and I am frequently impressed by her command of the language, given how different our two native languages are. I've been learning some of the basics but when I try to talk to her family, it's essentially smiles and nods.
The Translate phone app is pretty amazing for taking turns and having it translate back and forth, but I would love to have something like these new phones the next time we visit with her family. It may be borderline gimmicky and the appeal may be narrow (compared to just an easier to use pair of wireless earbuds) but it's a lot more interesting to me in terms of existing tech combined in a new way that I'd hoped to see for a while.
I think this is more a problem of you not being the target audience.
I'd use it lots... and lots. I'm an immigrant, and though I do alright with the local language (Norwegian, and I'm a native English speaker), conversations are sometimes difficult. Neil Gaiman in Norwegian is a difficult read for me, but I*m past kids books. Some folks would talk to me more, since lots of people understand some english but aren't so comfortable speaking it. Google translate isn't perfect, but it continues to get better.
I can see retail employees having access to a pair at work. Restaurants. Travel. And so on.
I understand the appeal. I've lived places where I can't even order off a menu. My in-laws don't speak any English. If/when this works flawlessly it has the potential to change the world. It just amazes me that there's a company that can ship star trek level tech yet nobody can make wireless earbuds easy to use!
At least Apple tried to solve the problem. Google appears to be acting like Samsung here, adding gimmicks while releasing a lesser product.