Apple AirPods: iPhone accessory or the next big thing? • Hacker News Board

Re: Apple AirPods: iPhone accessory or the next big thing?

#401

Post by bspammer » Wed, Jan 08, 2020, 12:55 AM UTC

jeffnappi wrote: post #390

privateSFacct wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And what apple is betting on is that people will prefer their totally sealed, light as possible, "throwaway" $200 product over the competitions user service, replaceable battery option. It is the same bet they have made repeatedly with their phones. Smaller sim card (obsoleting old approaches) - removing headphone jack, switching to lighting, doing totally sealed (but durable) devices etc. It's generally paid off - o…

Calling it battery service is interesting - they are most definitely simply replacing the AirPod. The $49 battery fee is for a single AirPod - replacement for the pair is $99. The question I have is if they are able to meaningfully recycle the used AirPods or if they just end up in the landfill?

I'd bet the average person contributes 10 times more plastic waste every single day than a single pair of airpods (by weight).

Yes it's still wasteful, but one of the absolute least impactful places to start optimizing your life given how useful the things can be over their 2-3 year lifespan.

Re: Apple AirPods: iPhone accessory or the next big thing?

#402

Post by wyclif » Wed, Jan 08, 2020, 12:55 AM UTC

Fnoord wrote: post #258

morganvachon wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not just the numbers, there are other wild assumptions going on. > That means almost all iPhone users are still either using wired earphones or none at all. I'm sorry, what? Non-Apple branded Bluetooth earphones (including AirPod knockoffs) are ubiquitous, and far outnumber wired earphones (in part thanks to Apple and many Android OEMs dropping headset jacks).

> (in part thanks to Apple and many Android OEMs dropping headset jacks). That only happened on high-end smartphones. Low-end and mid-range still have 3.5 mm socket. (Also, I actually look around regularly at the train station, and I still see mostly wired headsets. I'm using a wireless one, btw.)

Indeed. Here in SE Asia, everybody still uses 3.5mm jack smartphones. It's a rare occurrence to see wireless earpods, and almost always these are cheap Chinese AirPod knockoffs.

Re: Apple AirPods: iPhone accessory or the next big thing?

#403

Post by mhh__ » Wed, Jan 08, 2020, 12:57 AM UTC

rkuykendall-com wrote: post #197

gz5 wrote: post #40

Amazing how Apple managed to make the first cool MP3 player, then the first cool smartphone and now the first cool bluetooth headset. For almost 20 years now, Apple has owned electronic fashion. Sony for example was unable to parlay its Walkman dominance into similar positions with new devices. And make no mistake about it - a huge portion of these sales are people buying Apple's marketing - not buying the tech itsel…

AirPods don't have a single competitor. There's no clear alternative on the market. It's Air Pod or... TOZO T10? Sony XB950B1? LETSCOM IPX7? KOVEBBLE IPX7? Fuck I have no idea what all these numbers and letters mean, I'll buy some Air Pods.

If you have enough money not to care then fair enough, different target markets.

The sony WF-1000XM3 get mentioned immediately if you google/reddit/etc for "Air Pod Alternative"

Re: Apple AirPods: iPhone accessory or the next big thing?

#404

Post by JustSomeNobody » Wed, Jan 08, 2020, 12:57 AM UTC

misiti3780 wrote: post #383

Can you run with Airpods in?

Get some of these[0] and it should be no problem.

[0] EarBuddyz 2.0 Ear Hooks and Covers Accessories Compatible with Apple AirPods 1 & AirPods 2 or EarPods Headphones/ Earphones/ Earbuds (3 Pairs) (Clear) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019BREFE4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_EJ...

Re: Apple AirPods: iPhone accessory or the next big thing?

#405

Post by ikeboy » Wed, Jan 08, 2020, 12:58 AM UTC

TheOperator wrote: post #395

ikeboy wrote: post #315

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My understanding is that the Airpods are not better than the high-end competition. There's plenty of $100-150 Bluetooth earbuds that have better sound quality, and a handful of sub-$100 ones that are just as good. You're paying for the name. https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-airpods-review-wireles... >The biggest downside? Their sound is just OK. AirPods produce a perfectly average sound that's clear in the mid-t…

Battery life, overall size, and warranty policy on airpods is very competitive.

When you can buy three units for the price of one, warranty doesn't really cut it. And it's easy to find competitors with a one year warranty. The latest one I'm using is earfun, with 30 hour battery life (longer than Airpods), wireless charging for the case, and 18 month warranty.

Apple charges an extra $40 for the wireless charging case - airpods are $159, Airpods with wireless charging case are $199. Earfun earbuds are right now less than $40 total on Amazon, sold by the brand, and are better than Apple's offer at 199 as far as I'm concerned.

Re: Apple AirPods: iPhone accessory or the next big thing?

#406

Post by alexfromapex » Wed, Jan 08, 2020, 12:58 AM UTC

Imagine if they managed to corner the illegal knockoff market how much they’d make

Re: Apple AirPods: iPhone accessory or the next big thing?

#407

Post by mhh__ » Wed, Jan 08, 2020, 1:01 AM UTC

rkuykendall-com wrote: post #201

Fnoord wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Sony for example was unable to parlay its Walkman dominance into similar positions with new devices. Sony WF-1000XM3 are a popular in-ear Bluetooth headphones with noise cancelling. 80 EUR cheaper than Apple Airpods Pro.

Stupid name and impossible to distinguish from their other wireless headphones. This is the Dell XXHBE 34-9q276d.snfd2 vs Macbook Pro all over again.

My guitar is an Ibanez RG2570...EZQWEUIBLAKUSJBDA-something (I can't ever remember, great guitar btw) but does that matter? It's still a brilliant piece of (hand)craftsmanship.

If people want quality (or at least guarantee of quality in what they buy) they'll tend to whatever is better. N.B. "Better" can mean ease-of-use/experience too (Apple)

Re: Apple AirPods: iPhone accessory or the next big thing?

#408

Post by mhh__ » Wed, Jan 08, 2020, 1:03 AM UTC

rolltiide wrote: post #365

radlad wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry to burst your bubble, I'm a long-time Android user who switched to the iPhone 6S for about a year and a half, then back to a Pixel 2. Following its release, I bought the iPhone XS expecting to love it and be done with Android. Oh, how wrong I was. Siri is still garbage, CarPlay is terrible compared to Android Auto. And there's nothing even similar to Google Home. Apple's hands-free story is completely nonexiste…

Interesting use cases, the Google variant is still a good choice but a sliver of the android market that I cant really consider it meaningful Its one vs many variants

You get that on any modern Android phone, not sure when the cutoff is but my Oneplus from years ago still gets the modern crap.

Re: Apple AirPods: iPhone accessory or the next big thing?

#409

Post by userbinator » Wed, Jan 08, 2020, 1:05 AM UTC

Daneel_ wrote: post #373

Grazester wrote: post #252

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am like you but with the Android. Every time I use my wife iPhone I want to toss it across the room. I think primary because it doesn't have a dedicated back button.

Apple’s design language is to put the ‘back’ item at the top left of the screen, usually as a < symbol.

...which makes it far harder to reach than the button(s) on the bottom.

Re: Apple AirPods: iPhone accessory or the next big thing?

#410

Post by mhh__ » Wed, Jan 08, 2020, 1:06 AM UTC

dlivingston wrote: post #321

dsalzman wrote: post #25

Airpods are an integral part of Apple's future medical ambition. Always in ear Airpods constantly taking your Temp, HR, Glucose, GSR, etc. With the kicker that it is only stored locally and securely on your device, all processing done locally via HealthKit. That customized data will change how we think about patient care.

I effectively exclusively use my AirPods when working out. That alone would skew any medical data dramatically (avg. heart rate, blood pressure, etc.)

That's your problem no?

If they were being fancy I'm guessing you could use some buzzwords (AI etc. etc.) to combine the data along with the moisture content around the ear to determine whether someone is exercising automatically. (Assuming they don't already, my phone seems to be able to but not very accurately)