AirPods with Wireless Charging Case • Hacker News Board

Re: AirPods with Wireless Charging Case

#31

Post by lojack » Wed, Mar 20, 2019, 1:59 PM UTC

rajataghi wrote: post #19

lskopwol wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah the price doens’t really scale but if you consider your time worthwhile, then add up the total amount of time it has saved you from having to untwist a jumbled mess of earphones / roll up earphones into some easily tangled roll.

you should also consider the time it takes to charge the case and the times when you want to listen to music but alas, you forgot to charge your earphones! The jumbled mess of earphones don't need to be charged.

The airpods are the only wireless headphones I've owned where this is pretty much a nonissue in practice. It's easy to develop the habit to put the case on the charger when not on the go and to put the headphones in the case when not listening. At least for me those two things is sufficient to pretty much guarantee I'll always have charged headphones.

Re: AirPods with Wireless Charging Case

#32

Post by lm28469 » Wed, Mar 20, 2019, 2:02 PM UTC

Daniel_sk wrote: post #5

The issue is that you have tiny chemical batteries inside and they deteriorate with use and time, so it will hardly hold any charge after 3 years (some report much faster deterioration). Does Apple replace those batteries? How much does it cost? And can it be done outside of US? (e.g. in EU countries with no official Apple Store presence). Otherwise it's pretty expensive to pay $200 for a pair headphones and throw th…

You're not expected to keep them that long, it's targeted to people who buy the new generations pretty much as soon as they are released.

Who's going to pay 30%-50% of a new version to replace his airpods or apple watch battery ? [0]

It's the same with all these hi tech gadgets relying on tiny glued/soldered batteries. You can't replace them yourself because it's either proprietary hardware or you need to literally break the product to get to the battery. And companies either don't offer replacements or charge insane amount of money for them.

Apple can boast all day long about ecology and using 100% recycled aluminium, at the end of the day they're shipping unfixable gadgets. [1][2] But it's thin and slick looking so I guess most people don't give a damn.

The first time I saw a bose QC25 with AA batteries I almost burst out laughing but it's actually much more convenient than proprietary battery packs. Compare that to the new QC35: > As you were correctly advised, battery replacement is not a service that is offered. [3]

We'll drown in these gadgets way before we drown due to the sea level rising.

[0] > Run through your battery, and it’ll likely cost you $138 to replace both year-old batteries, which is nearly the cost of a new pair.

https://www.inverse.com/article/49363-airpods-battery-warran...

[1] https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Apple+Watch+Battery+Replacement...

[2] https://ifixit.org/blog/8690/airpods-are-disposable/

[3] https://community.bose.com/t5/Headphones-Archive/Bose-Quietc...

Re: AirPods with Wireless Charging Case

#33

Post by heywire » Wed, Mar 20, 2019, 2:05 PM UTC

zpeti wrote: post #22

Funny how there's so much criticism everywhere for these products yet you step outside and loads of people have them. Usual reaction to Apple products I guess.

I know more people with knock-off Airpods than the actual Apple-branded ones.

Re: AirPods with Wireless Charging Case

#34

Post by moftz » Wed, Mar 20, 2019, 2:06 PM UTC

lbacaj wrote: post #15

I really believe the AirPods are an amazing New platform.. I think people are far more on the go lately and so the AirPods are a perfect way to consume content, that isn’t just music and I do believe the big rise in Podcast consumption is very much due to their popularity. It started as a silly joke that everyone made fun of but now, at least where I live in NYC, seemingly everyone on every train has them on. I am a…

Take a look at the front and back of the Airpod flexible circuit board, there is pretty much no room for anything else. Even the smallest nand flash chips take up more room than the circuit board can offer. The airpod case has more room in it, maybe there could be a storage chip added to that for on the go music (like an ipod shuffle!) but Apple would probably just rather you buy a watch.

iFixit photos: https://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/igi/XwBdUPqAmhHbWgWn.h... https://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/igi/1ZnAZMJBfmIxFr1f.h...

Re: AirPods with Wireless Charging Case

#35

Post by lm28469 » Wed, Mar 20, 2019, 2:07 PM UTC

zpeti wrote: post #22

Funny how there's so much criticism everywhere for these products yet you step outside and loads of people have them. Usual reaction to Apple products I guess.

If you look at it through the status symbol / fashion statement lens it kind of make sense though.

Afaik other companies make similarly priced wireless buds with better sound quality and similar battery life.

Re: AirPods with Wireless Charging Case

#36

Post by tinus_hn » Wed, Mar 20, 2019, 2:07 PM UTC

melling wrote: post #4

nwhatt wrote: post #3

$80 for the standalone case. $200 for a new set.

I suppose if we could fix Bluetooth then we wouldn’t need a special H1 chip and expensive EarPods?

If only someone else would do the hard work for free, then we wouldn’t have to buy these expensive things!

Re: AirPods with Wireless Charging Case

#37

Post by plg » Wed, Mar 20, 2019, 2:07 PM UTC

Do these have a different chip and/or different audio quality than the previous generation?

Re: AirPods with Wireless Charging Case

#38

Post by yourduskquibble » Wed, Mar 20, 2019, 2:10 PM UTC

jasongill wrote: post #25

Daniel_sk wrote: post #5

The issue is that you have tiny chemical batteries inside and they deteriorate with use and time, so it will hardly hold any charge after 3 years (some report much faster deterioration). Does Apple replace those batteries? How much does it cost? And can it be done outside of US? (e.g. in EU countries with no official Apple Store presence). Otherwise it's pretty expensive to pay $200 for a pair headphones and throw th…

I pre-ordered my Airpods the first day they were available at the end of 2016 and have used them almost exclusively for conference calls. I use them maybe once every day or so, and they sit in their charging case the rest of the time (which gets recharged periodically) I had a call yesterday and the Airpods were beeping that they were dying at the 20min mark, and didn't make it to 30min on the call. I love the form f…

Fool me once...

Re: AirPods with Wireless Charging Case

#39

Post by ec109685 » Wed, Mar 20, 2019, 2:11 PM UTC

lm28469 wrote: post #35

zpeti wrote: post #22

Funny how there's so much criticism everywhere for these products yet you step outside and loads of people have them. Usual reaction to Apple products I guess.

If you look at it through the status symbol / fashion statement lens it kind of make sense though. Afaik other companies make similarly priced wireless buds with better sound quality and similar battery life.

Huh? I think people buy these despite them looking a little goofy because they are quite convienent. Which company offers the best wireless pods in your mind?

Re: AirPods with Wireless Charging Case

#40

Post by melling » Wed, Mar 20, 2019, 2:12 PM UTC

lm28469 wrote: post #35

zpeti wrote: post #22

Funny how there's so much criticism everywhere for these products yet you step outside and loads of people have them. Usual reaction to Apple products I guess.

If you look at it through the status symbol / fashion statement lens it kind of make sense though. Afaik other companies make similarly priced wireless buds with better sound quality and similar battery life.

Any recommendations? I’m also in the market for a pair of wireless noise canceling headphones.