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The next generation of AirPods

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Re: The next generation of AirPods

#41

Post by a-r-t »

kfprt wrote: post #9

>Apple and the Environment Hilarious section for an expensive product that has a non removable battery and is going to end up in a landfill after a year or two of use.

You can bring them back to an Apple Store or ship them back to Apple for recycling [1]. I dropped off a few old devices and batteries at my local Apple Store - it's very easy, especially now that they often have an employee standing outside of the store, just hand it to them and go about your day.

[1] https://9to5mac.com/2019/05/30/how-to-sell-recycle-airpods/

Re: The next generation of AirPods

#42

Post by thrashh »

acdha wrote: post #27
kfprt wrote: post #9

>Apple and the Environment Hilarious section for an expensive product that has a non removable battery and is going to end up in a landfill after a year or two of use.

A year or two seems implausibly low but I would also compare this with the competition. For example, I have some great AKG headphones (over-ear, wired) which cost more even before adjusting for inflation — the audio quality is absolutely stellar but all of the plastic started falling apart after a couple of years. I've replaced the covers over the ears but now the non-replaceable cable shroud and padding on the cross…

That isn’t the only competition though. I have a lot of headphones and my favorite pair hasn’t fallen apart in 10 years.

Re: The next generation of AirPods

#43

Post by filereaper »

Apple Marketing sometimes can be incredulous:

>"First with our contour design that delivers sound directly to your ears"

What does that even mean?!? These are in-ear headphones, how else are they supposed to deliver sound?

Feels silly to have such a comment to make a two point slide.

Re: The next generation of AirPods

#44

Post by WithinReason »

somedude895 wrote: post #19
WithinReason wrote: post #10

A spatial audio implementation could range from mind blowing to meh. I want to hear one that can reach this level: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYdIidUIbAs

Wow, I did not know my headphones could do that! What's this announcement then if this is already possible?

This was a recording with a head-shaped microphone, for spatial audio you have to implement the HRTF:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head-related_transfer_function

Re: The next generation of AirPods

#45

Post by thih9 »

babypuncher wrote: post #36

I can't get behind any $180 pair of earbuds that doesn't have some kind of form-fitting ear tips (silicone or otherwise). The AirPods Pro are a great product, but this update to the base model is really disappointing.

Preferences vary; I don't like form fitting ear tips, I prefer old school earbuds, like air pods or ear pods.

I didn't want to miss out on spatial audio, so I'm excited by this update.

Re: The next generation of AirPods

#46

Post by nojito »

kfprt wrote: post #9

>Apple and the Environment Hilarious section for an expensive product that has a non removable battery and is going to end up in a landfill after a year or two of use.

How much waste is in an AirPod compared to literally anything else plastic?

Re: The next generation of AirPods

#47

Post by kfprt »

zxcvgm wrote: post #28
m_ke wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah my airpods died after like a year and a half of use. When my brand new M1 macbook air died after a month of use I took it to the apple store and the "genius" next to me told someone with dead airpods that it's normal and that they have to buy a replacement pod.

Seems like PodSwap have figured out how to replace the batteries without butchering them. (I’m not affiliated nor used them.) https://www.thepodswap.com/

Taking what used to be free (replacing batteries in your remote/phone/device) and turning it into a service. Now that's innovation!

Re: The next generation of AirPods

#48

Post by kfprt »

babypuncher wrote: post #39
kfprt wrote: post #9

>Apple and the Environment Hilarious section for an expensive product that has a non removable battery and is going to end up in a landfill after a year or two of use.

I appreciate the concern, but the waste generated by a pair of AirPods for 1-2 years of use seems like nothing compared to all the plastic bottles the average American goes through in a week.

Size can be deceiving when you don't factor in the materials used. Electronics are full of silicon and rare earths which have a far greater impact than even a bunch of bottles.

Re: The next generation of AirPods

#50

Post by acdha »

thrashh wrote: post #42
acdha wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A year or two seems implausibly low but I would also compare this with the competition. For example, I have some great AKG headphones (over-ear, wired) which cost more even before adjusting for inflation — the audio quality is absolutely stellar but all of the plastic started falling apart after a couple of years. I've replaced the covers over the ears but now the non-replaceable cable shroud and padding on the cross…

That isn’t the only competition though. I have a lot of headphones and my favorite pair hasn’t fallen apart in 10 years.

Sure, my previous ones lasted a long time, too. My point was simply that there's a weird trend to talk about this as an Apple thing rather than the global trend across most industries it actually is.
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