AirPods are now available • Hacker News Board

Re: AirPods are now available

#291

Post by ksk » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 11:13 PM UTC

j2bax wrote: post #284

ksk wrote: post #272

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The point is, if you want to convince others why it is so, you have to play by their rules. Your opinion is simply your opinion. I do like _some_ of Apple's products, but I would never spend 150 dollars on these headphones. I'm hoping that Apple cheerleaders will drive down the cost so I can get the version 2/3 for cheap when all the bugs have been ironed out.

Is colorful language in marketing new or unique to Apple? Are there people that actually mistake the term 'magical' in this context to mean, 'these headphones actually have supernatural forces working inside them!'

I agree with what you said, but like I said, the act of persuasion isn't merely stating facts.

Surely you can see that comments could have different moods. Some might simply be sarcastic, others cynical, or maybe people just venting at Apple for a bad experience they had with some other Apple product, etc, etc.

Re: AirPods are now available

#292

Post by computmaxer » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 11:14 PM UTC

mcintyre1994 wrote: post #274

Has anybody got standard bluetooth headphones and found a way to reliably use them on multiple Apple devices? Mine are usually paired to my phone, and it's just not worth the hassle of unpairing and pairing repeatedly until the Macbook picks them up as unpaired and lets me try to pair with them, which works about half the time. Maybe my Macbook's bluetooth is just broken.. This is kinda disappointing though because I…

I have Bose QC35s and they can be simultaneously connected (not just paired) to two devices at the same time. They can be paired to more, and you can cycle through paired devices with a switch on the headphones or use the iPhone app to select which two devices you want connected.

I almost always have both my Macbook Pro an iPhone connected. The switch from listening to music from the laptop to the iPhone (such as when I leave the office and get on the bus) is seamless. Simply stop playing music on the laptop and start playing music on the phone. I highly recommend them.

Re: AirPods are now available

#293

Post by FireBeyond » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 11:15 PM UTC

MBCook wrote: post #226

bhauer wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't speak for the other guys above, but I must have missed something. I am baffled why this particular set of wireless headphones has received as much press as it has. It seems so overblown that I have to wonder if people with iPhone 7s have actually been refusing to use existing wireless headphones because they are actually waiting for these. I've had a set of $25 Motorola wireless (Bluetooth) headphones that I…

> I can't speak for the other guys above, but I must have missed something. I am baffled why this particular set of wireless headphones has received as much press as it has. They're tiny, they pair to multiple devices trivially, and are well designed. They're one of the big reasons Apple is supposed to have removed the headphone jack off the iPhone 7. "You don't need it, let us show you why" kind of thing. The other…

Eh, they'll pair trivially to other Apple devices (which ... NFC assisted pairing is not new).

It's months late, it's still not here yet, AND there's a "big" warning on the page that even when it is here it will only be in limited quantities and that prospective buyers are "advised" to check online for stocking levels... very un-Apple.

Re: AirPods are now available

#294

Post by cocktailpeanuts » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 11:17 PM UTC

pjc50 wrote: post #209

usaphp wrote: post #202

A lot of people here seem to be complaining about them falling out of their ears, while non of them actually tried to wear them first. Also everyone is stating things like this "I will use them two or three times during rush hours in London, bump into a couple people". But for me personally - I only use headphones while at my desk and I love current EarPods because unlike many other in-ear headphones they do not crea…

I guess this depends on your ears; I've never had a pair of in-ear phones that don't fall out after 5 minutes.

Have you ever had an earplug that fell out after 5 minutes?

The main reason earphones fall out of your ears is the wires. Most existing wireless earphones have some sort of wire attached to them. They're called "wireless" but that's technically not true because they do have wires, and these wires are what pulls the earphones out of your ear. It's physics.

Re: AirPods are now available

#295

Post by erikpukinskis » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 11:18 PM UTC

bhauer wrote: post #270

j_jochem wrote: post #233

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From my experience, Bluetooth audio's sound quality is abysmal. I figure that's why an alternative system is getting so much hype.

I would agree that old Bluetooth devices (especially those from around 2005 or earlier) often sounded poor. But modern Bluetooth devices (say 2009 onward) have generally sounded fine/great. I would go so far as to say that if you're listening to MP3s and not FLAC, then Bluetooth isn't your biggest signal loss.

Properly encoded MP3s are sonically indistinguishable in blind tests from FLAC, so I'm not sure what you're referencing.

Re: AirPods are now available

#296

Post by FireBeyond » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 11:19 PM UTC

Terretta wrote: post #283

stonogo wrote: post #239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Bragi Dash and the Samsung Gear Icon X both do this, and also include fitness tracking functionality. The Samsung ones can even be loaded with music and cache your fitness data so you don't need a phone with you.

Bragi Dash: $249.99 after $50 off https://www.amazon.com/Bragi-Truly-Wireless-Smart-Earphones/...

I think this is hilarious, even as someone who owns multiple Apple devices. "This is revolutionary. Nothing else does anything like this." "These do." "Well they cost more!", or "doesn't look as cool". Moving goalposts.

And eh, I realize that Apple almost never goes below MSRP/list, but don't act like the "after $50 off" is some special promotion. It's not a rebate, even an instant one, just 'cheaper than list'.

Re: AirPods are now available

#297

Post by Viper007Bond » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 11:19 PM UTC

mcintyre1994 wrote: post #274

Has anybody got standard bluetooth headphones and found a way to reliably use them on multiple Apple devices? Mine are usually paired to my phone, and it's just not worth the hassle of unpairing and pairing repeatedly until the Macbook picks them up as unpaired and lets me try to pair with them, which works about half the time. Maybe my Macbook's bluetooth is just broken.. This is kinda disappointing though because I…

That's not an Apple issue -- Bluetooth doesn't support that. I've never seen any Bluetooth device that can be paired to multiple devices at one time without having some type of device switcher button.

Re: AirPods are now available

#298

Post by lostgame » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 11:21 PM UTC

antiffan wrote: post #174

A feature I'd love to see: sync to AirPods. I imagine it won't happen because in some ways it's kind of backwards, but I hate running with my phone, especially because I have a huge 6+. It seems like a simple thing to just want to be able to take some of my music/podcasts with me running, but it's not realistic unless I own a separate iPod shuffle that I then have to deal with. Adding a small amount of memory to AirP…

It's called an Apple Watch.

I sync a playlist of my music from my 6S onto my Apple Watch rev. 1 and use a pair of beats solo 3. Works daaaaandy.

The Apple Watch is far, far too goddamn expensive, though. Let's get it down to at least $199, guys, and don't force us to pair an iPhone with it. It's what the iPod Nano turned into. Why is it so much more expensive?

If people could just buy an Apple Watch, it could convince them to buy further into the Apple ecosystem, in the same way as the iPod did (but obviously not to such a scale).

Re: AirPods are now available

#299

Post by eridius » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 11:21 PM UTC

FireBeyond wrote: post #7

There's like a next-level Apple marketing babble on that page: "AirPods introduce an effortless wireless listening experience packed with high-quality audio and long battery life. These magical wireless headphones use advanced technology to reinvent how we listen to music, make phone calls, enjoy TV shows and movies, play games and interact with Siri, providing a wireless audio experience not possible before." Magica…

Actually they do. What's "magical" and "reinvented" is the fact that the AirPods seamlessly switch to whatever device you're currently using, so you can switch between your desktop, laptop, iPhone, and iPad without having to actually do anything to trigger the switch. In addition, it automatically pauses your music when you take your AirPods out of your ears (and resumes it if you put them back in).

Re: AirPods are now available

#300

Post by broodbucket » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 11:22 PM UTC

giarc wrote: post #224

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 exact same problem. They just aren't a great fit. I walk my dogs every night for 1 hour and enjoy listening to podcasts during this time. I tried some Mopow bluetooth earbuds but they weren't any better. I'm considering some large headphones this holiday season. On a lighter note, I live in Canada so for 6 months of the year, my toque holds the Apple earbuds in my ears.

Over ear headphones are better for your ears and don't have the issue of falling out. They are bulkier, though, and can get sweaty in summer (in Australia at least, might not have the same issue in Canada)