AirPods are now available • Hacker News Board

Re: AirPods are now available

#251

Post by veidr » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 10:49 PM UTC

NasEscobar wrote: post #192

monochromatic wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you hate about iOS10? The new Messages app annoys me, but otherwise it seems fine.

Messages is too busy now, there's too much going on in that app. It's a mess of sharing options and emoji.

Messages is an utterly perfect, textbook example of software bloat.

There are now so many garbage features, tangential to the core purpose of the app — self-deleting audio blips if you move the phone this way, internet GIF search if you swipe that way, weird drawing pad, stupid variable-location popup to add "HA HA HA" animation, recently-played music grid, full-screen-or-sometimes-not fingerpainting applet, image editor, heartbeat monitor, fucking kiss simulator (what the fuck), and I know from sorry experience (usually when trying to send a message with one hand while carrying something heavy and awkward) that there's more shit buried in here that I can't even figure out how to navigate to right now, like a signature editor — that I have had to help my dad, my wife, and my kids figure out how to get back to where send a fucking message with it, repeatedly.

You could use iOS 10 Messages to create a 6-episode TV miniseries called Software Design Gone Horribly Fucking Wrong and surely win an Emmy award for best documentary.

Re: AirPods are now available

#252

Post by untog » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 10:51 PM UTC

tormeh wrote: post #217

untog wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This quote is so overused it's basically a tech trope. The point is that, at the time, the iPod was a niche product, with several huge flaws. Subsequent iterations of the iPod fixed those flaws, but that doesn't mean you should have bought a v1 iPod. It made much more sense to wait. Exactly the same logic applies to the Airpods. Suggesting that people can't criticise them because at some point in the future the produ…

No, the iPod took what was a technically good-enough product category and slapped on a UI that didn't suck. UI is often the most important part of a product, and basically only Apple really got it when it came to MP3-players.

But the first device still had huge weaknesses. Firewire-only, Mac-only, and small storage compared to the competition. Not only that, the first iPod wasn't a success, it took a few iterations for Apple to get it right.

My point is that this initial criticism of the iPod was not wrong. It was a flawed device. It was eventually improved into a successful device, but using that logic to shut down any criticism of future products is just silly.

Re: AirPods are now available

#253

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 10:51 PM UTC

Karunamon wrote: post #238

djrogers wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Why did they not make the charging port USB C? Because there are about half a billion potential customers out there who already have phones that charge via lightning?

Since when has that ever bothered them? There was the dock connector -> lightning connector switch. There's the ADB -> USB switch back in the day. And now there headphone jack -> wireless thing switch. Apple cares not one whit for obsoleting the stuff you have.

[deleted]

Re: AirPods are now available

#254

Post by davidsawyer » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 10:53 PM UTC

amaks wrote: post #206

What's the battery life?

From the website:

>you can listen for 5 hours on a single charge

Re: AirPods are now available

#255

Post by coldtea » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 10:53 PM UTC

Avshalom wrote: post #118

1_2__3 wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's marketing copy, and then there's throw-up-a-little-in-your-mouth marketing copy. This is the latter.

Right, this isn't a world class entry into a nascent market. This is a pair of fucking headphones. A pair of headphones a month later than they should be that look exactly like their old headphones

A pair of "fucking headphones" with a custom designed BT/audio processing chip that does lots of interesting things.

Re: AirPods are now available

#256

Post by ArlenBales » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 10:53 PM UTC

johnhenry wrote: post #213

I don't know the best place to say this... I'm always a little sad whenever Apple announces earphone related technology -- their earphones simply do not fit in my ear; they simply fall out. I wonder if anyone else has the same problem? Or problems with other specific pieces of technology?

I have the same problem to a lesser degree, but the bigger problem for me is their form factor causes sharp pains in my ear after prolonged listening (30+ minutes).

Re: AirPods are now available

#257

Post by gigatexal » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 10:53 PM UTC

eh the beats X headphones are the ones I am going to get -- I can't be having these q-tips falling out of my ears

Re: AirPods are now available

#258

Post by BinaryIdiot » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 10:53 PM UTC

Avshalom wrote: post #118

1_2__3 wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's marketing copy, and then there's throw-up-a-little-in-your-mouth marketing copy. This is the latter.

Right, this isn't a world class entry into a nascent market. This is a pair of fucking headphones. A pair of headphones a month later than they should be that look exactly like their old headphones

> This is a pair of fucking headphones.

I'm not sure if you have a bias against Apple or not but you're distilling your adjectives down to the simplest level in order to attack them. I do not believe that is a fair assessment.

The AirPods include some interesting UX changes not typically seen (open case to connect, etc) and while some abilities have been done before (the tiny ear buds, the recharging case, etc) it also has some interesting aspects with voice commands and gestures.

Yes I wouldn't necessarily call them world class but a "pair of fucking headphones" seems possibly even more inaccurate to me.

Re: AirPods are now available

#259

Post by cududa » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 10:55 PM UTC

johnhenry wrote: post #213

I don't know the best place to say this... I'm always a little sad whenever Apple announces earphone related technology -- their earphones simply do not fit in my ear; they simply fall out. I wonder if anyone else has the same problem? Or problems with other specific pieces of technology?

I recall reading an article on this from a while back (maybe up to 3 years ago) I think the conclusion was that EarPods fit extremely well for 60-70% of people - worthless for everyone else. Spent a few minutes looking for the actual article and couldn't find it, so take it fwiw

Re: AirPods are now available

#260

Post by cocktailpeanuts » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 10:55 PM UTC

Skunkleton wrote: post #157

cocktailpeanuts wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe you missed something but I guess this is why you guys are so angry about this. Because it IS an entry into a nascent market. Apple sees this as a new IO device, not a "pair of fucking headphones". Take a look at the specs

How is it anything more than a wireless version of the headphones they have been bundling for years?

For starters, it has a CPU. Also it has an accelerometer. Also it has a microphone.

Hope this answers your question.