" If the second pair works, contact the manufacturer of the initial pair and ask if you need a replacement." Is the manufacturer not just Apple?

If your headphones don't work with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

Why is it implied that the manufacturer and Apple are two different things?

The quote:

To see if you need a replacement, try a second pair of headphones. If the second pair works, contact the manufacturer of the initial pair and ask if you need a replacement. If the second pair doesn't work, contact Apple Support.

They treat the manufacturer and Apple Support as two different entities which confuses me on who to contact. My earbuds are the Apple earbuds that came with my SE, and they recently stopped working. I checked with different earbuds and those ones work, so the problem is with my earbuds. Who should I contact?