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Apple AirPods: iPhone accessory or the next big thing?

kevinrooke.com

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

#501

Post by heavyset_go »

vinay427 wrote: post #242
jedberg wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At this point no matter how amazing the Android is, I would find the iPhone easier. I've been using an iPhone for so long it's just second nature. At one point I was forced to use an Android for a month. I could just never get used to the interface.

It's actually quite remarkable to me that I can have such a different experience as a longtime Android device user and both of these experiences can coexist. I could never go back to the iPhone interface, and every time I have to use someone else's phone I'm always astounded at how hidden away the (few) options still available to me seem.

Discoverability of UI features is atrocious on iOS.

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

#502

Post by baby »

ikeboy wrote: post #423
filmgirlcw wrote: post #394

Earlier quoted context omitted.

AirPods are objectively great and it has taken 3 years for anything better to come out (and I would rather have seamless pairing than negligible audio quality improvements), but fashion is absolutely part of this. The same is true of the iPod and of the iPhone. To me, that doesn’t diminish from the fact that those are/were best-in-class products, but the ubiquity is absolutely based on fashion. The same is true of th…

What exactly is this seamless pairing that Airpods do so much better than everyone else? I've not noticed much in the way of seams on the other wireless earbuds I've tried. Connect on device, it works, and autoconnects next time.

Actually my bose have the best pairing experience I’ve had so far. I flip a switch, it tells me I can connect a new device, then I select my bose with my device. I can even have my bose connected to several devices at the same time.

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

#503

Post by filmgirlcw »

filoleg wrote: post #446
ikeboy wrote: post #423

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What exactly is this seamless pairing that Airpods do so much better than everyone else? I've not noticed much in the way of seams on the other wireless earbuds I've tried. Connect on device, it works, and autoconnects next time.

Have you tried using any of them with multiple devices? Not at the same time, obviously, but in scenarios like "listening to them connected to phone while on the bus, getting into your office, switching to listening to them on your laptop". If not, I recommend you testing out this specific scenario. For a lot of the ones I tested, it becomes an exercise in patience and frustration. There were even some that refused t…

>(looking at you, Sony; I love your WH-1000XM over the head line of headphones, but ffs this is just bad UX)

Could not agree more. I love the WH-1000XM3s (and loved the XM2s before that), but the UX on this stuff is just so frustrating.

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

#504

Post by heavyset_go »

onlyrealcuzzo wrote: post #233
joezydeco wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've noticed a lot of people wearing just one, my kids included. They explained to me that by alternating earbuds they can wear them almost continually.

This sounds like the plot to a Dystopian tech movie. Something always in your ear... whispering.

The Seashells from Fahrenheit 451 fit into users ears like thimbles and they'd be worn into the night, lulling users to sleep.

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

#505

Post by ikeboy »

heavyset_go wrote: post #495
iudqnolq wrote: post #447

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The difficulty is when headsets are paired with two devices at the same place, eg phone & laptop. In the I believe there are higher end non Apple devices that have solved this.

> In the I'm wearing a pair I bought over a year ago, and using multiple devices at the same time is as easy as just turning them on.

What model?

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

#506

Post by ekianjo »

Qu3tzal wrote: post #493
peteretep wrote: post #429

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Here in SE Asia, everybody still uses 3.5mm jack smartphones This does not match my experience at all, but SE Asia is a diverse place.

Doesn't match mine either. Here in Japan (at least in Tokyo) it's uncommon to see wired headphones. Most are random wireless headphones, I would estimate 20-40% only being AirPods.

Japan is technically NOT in SE Asia.

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

#507

Post by heavyset_go »

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?

> The question I have is if they are able to meaningfully recycle the used AirPods or if they just end up in the landfill?

First they get sold as refurbished products in their primary market, or sold in 3rd world markets at a discount, and then they end up in landfills.

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

#508

Post by ekianjo »

52-6F-62 wrote: post #455
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).

Reporting from Toronto: You see a lot of AirPods (I was gifted a set myself) but you see even more wireless over-ear headphones. I probably notice those the most. And wired are still common, though not necessarily 3.5mm.

> And wired are still common, though not necessarily 3.5mm.

What do you mean by not necessarily 3.5mm?

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

#509

Post by tim333 »

Qu3tzal wrote: post #493
peteretep wrote: post #429

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Here in SE Asia, everybody still uses 3.5mm jack smartphones This does not match my experience at all, but SE Asia is a diverse place.

Doesn't match mine either. Here in Japan (at least in Tokyo) it's uncommon to see wired headphones. Most are random wireless headphones, I would estimate 20-40% only being AirPods.

Singapore, I see a lot of airpods though it probably depends on the area.

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

#510

Post by anchpop »

femiagbabiaka wrote: post #155
gumby wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Sony for example was unable to parlay its Walkman dominance into similar positions with new devices. Actually the Walkman (which was arguably Sony's second breakout product, the first being a transistor radio) Sony was definitely the cool kid. And don't forget the Playstation or the Trinitron. In fact Steve Jobs explicitly emulated and admired Sony for their (then) sense of style, customer appeal and quality. The S…

It's odd that you say decay. IMO Sony's products are still quite good! I have a Sony-WM1A sitting next to me right now that's well-made, and I'm using Sony WF-1000MX3's as headphones, which are also well made. Not only that, but the Sony MDR-EX1000's that I own that are quite old are still buzzing. I can't quite say that for many Apple products I've purchased in the last decade.

It's telling that the WF-1000XM3s have been brought up multiple times but nobody has gotten their name right so far
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