Google Pixel Buds • Hacker News Board

Re: Google Pixel Buds

#151

Post by losvedir » Tue, Apr 28, 2020, 1:53 PM UTC

I'll be looking at the reviews with interest. I wanted to like the original Pixel Buds but the first pair I got were duds (though support was good about shipping me a new pair) but then the second pair eventually died and wouldn't charge. I'm hoping these work better. I looked at reviews for the originals after I bought them and the reviews weren't great, so maybe I should have looked at them before...

I like the auto-volume adjustment as long as you can put a max volume on it. If the ambient noise is loud, I don't want my music to get even louder so I can hear it over the noise; I worry about protecting my hearing. If anything, I'd rather the buds decide to just turn off if they decide the noise is too loud to play over.

Re: Google Pixel Buds

#152

Post by Spivak » Tue, Apr 28, 2020, 1:53 PM UTC

bzb3 wrote: post #78

notechback wrote: post #71

Marvellous! Another product with non-replaceable batteries. Hostile to both consumers and the environment. Really sad to see that all these big companies don't care even to the smallest degree about all their own environmental pledges.

Big companies care about what their customers care. Customers don't care about replaceable batteries, or at least not enough to stop buying.

I don't care about replacing the batteries myself, I care about how much it will cost to get them replaced. For my AirPods the price reasonable is so I don't really care.

It's the same as my car. I buy a based on the cost of maintenance not how easy it is to maintain myself.

Re: Google Pixel Buds

#153

Post by sumedh » Tue, Apr 28, 2020, 1:54 PM UTC

rooam-dev wrote: post #128

bzb3 wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Big companies care about what their customers care. Customers don't care about replaceable batteries, or at least not enough to stop buying.

I am sure customers care about their products lasting longer.

Maybe their market research says that customers like to upgrade things every couple of years.

Re: Google Pixel Buds

#154

Post by Ididntdothis » Tue, Apr 28, 2020, 1:56 PM UTC

kernelbugs wrote: post #136

Does anyone else really struggle with comfort when using headphones which go into the ear canal (IEMs)? I know there is better sound isolation, but for some reason I cannot stand the minor pressure of them in my ears.

I don’t like them either. I also don’t like the sound isolation. It makes me feel sort of numb and out of touch when I walk around with such headphones.

Re: Google Pixel Buds

#155

Post by crazygringo » Tue, Apr 28, 2020, 1:58 PM UTC

I'm very happy to see better competition with Apple's AirPods. And visually, these look fantastic -- distinct but just as tasteful.

The lack of active noise cancellation still seems to leave Google a "generation behind" here, but playing catch-up is still a great thing.

But more than anything, I'm fascinated by the "Adaptive Sound" mode. Seriously, for years I've wanted my headphones (and laptop speakers) to auto-adjust their volume based on both the signal and ambient noise. If it works well, I hope to see the concept spread pretty much everywhere as an option.

Re: Google Pixel Buds

#156

Post by Ididntdothis » Tue, Apr 28, 2020, 1:58 PM UTC

alexpetralia wrote: post #134

These look like hearing aids to me.

Once people who have used such headphones for decades are older there will a be big market for hearing aids.

Re: Google Pixel Buds

#157

Post by Hamuko » Tue, Apr 28, 2020, 2:00 PM UTC

crazygringo wrote: post #150

notechback wrote: post #71

Marvellous! Another product with non-replaceable batteries. Hostile to both consumers and the environment. Really sad to see that all these big companies don't care even to the smallest degree about all their own environmental pledges.

So you're basically saying that wireless in-ear headphones shouldn't exist then. Everything inside of them is already so miniaturized, there simply isn't space for a replaceable battery, not to mention how you'd maintain waterproofing since, you know, you run and sweat with these in. Have you seen X-rays of the AirPods Pro for example? Can you figure out a way where the battery would become replaceable?

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Samsung+Galaxy+Buds+Battery+Rep...

Re: Google Pixel Buds

#158

Post by tabs_masterrace » Tue, Apr 28, 2020, 2:08 PM UTC

bb123 wrote: post #113

notechback wrote: post #71

Marvellous! Another product with non-replaceable batteries. Hostile to both consumers and the environment. Really sad to see that all these big companies don't care even to the smallest degree about all their own environmental pledges.

I think that the issue here is it would be very hard to create a product that has replaceable batteries of this size and: * Is waterproof * Is small enough to be comfortable * Has a battery large enough to be useful * Has easy battery replacement - this is a really important one to me here. Remember that not everyone using these has the manual dexterity of a healthy 20 year old. These products have to be designed so…

It doesn't have to be easy to replace, there just needs to be an intended way to do it. Even if it requires you to bring them to a shop and let them do it (e.g. how most phones handle it). There's absolutely no reason they can't be engineered that way, don't be foolish. The problem is priorities. It is 2020, and some still haven't realized how important these issues are becoming?

Don't want to single out Google, and this little product launch too much, same goes for Apple, and all the others who still think it doesn't matter. And before people say, well the little amount of plastic and metal inside the pods is insignificant compared to all the other stuff we throw away daily, I'd say the message is equally important.

There is no reason to not make these lasting. Only priorities.

Re: Google Pixel Buds

#159

Post by choward » Tue, Apr 28, 2020, 2:10 PM UTC

The scrolling on that site is atrocious. What's up with the "Pixel" branding on the headphones? After the Nexus 6P, I'm never buying another of their phones again. I see "Pixel" and immediately think "not buying that". Do I need a Pixel for these to work? Will I be missing out on features of I don't have one? I can't find anything mentioning what makes these "Pixel" headphones. Google's marketing is awful.

Re: Google Pixel Buds

#160

Post by hnarn » Tue, Apr 28, 2020, 2:10 PM UTC

jspaetzel wrote: post #75

hnarn wrote: post #42

I recently bought an iPhone SE after entertaining the thought of maybe waiting for the new Pixel phone. For reasons already mentioned by others here, I feel like I'm done with Google hardware. The iPhone is by no means perfect and sure, it restricts me in what software I can download and use, but at least it works. I don't want to run obscure adb commands, follow online tutorials or try other roms from xda-developers…

Was the last android version you used released on a 3rd party device in 2012? Because that's what you're describing.

The last Android device I bought was a Nokia 7.1 which is an Android One device. Presumably this should mean a "clean" Android experience but I still experienced frequent crashes and reboots, apps not working correctly etc.

Of course this is anecdotal but that's how I (and probably most) people decide what to buy. There are many things that aren't ideal about iPhones but I've never had one crash on me and most apps are way more polished and work better -- not that this latter part has anything to do with an inherent weakness in Android, but it's just reality as I perceive it.

I've had many Android devices in my life and I loved many of them, OnePlus 3 being the one that stands out. Still, I just feel it's not for me anymore.