81–90 of 258 posts
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How is Apple violating people’s privacy? They have done a far better job than other companies from what I'm have seen.
I mean they are the best of the big tech companies, by a country mile, but that's not really saying a lot. If you want the full details, go read the privacy policy with a skeptic's perspective.
One of my kids was born with a slight hearing loss and I think this is huge. We got from the local health service some basic hearing aids that cost around 1000 euro but we are contemplating buying some high-end Phonak devices that are around 5000 euro as recommended by some experts. In comparison to this the AirPods (280 euro?) are almost free.
With the AirPods now officially becoming hearing aids, it will hopefully reduce the stigma and attitude towards hearing aids and allow many more people to realize how bad their hearing actually is. I have been wearing hearing aids for a few years now (Phonak). I've also used the AirPods Pro with the accessibility audiogram feature (basically making them hearing aids), which is really good and has also been around for…
The biggest problem with hearing aids (and doctors/calibrators/whatever) is that they are ridiculously expensive... the attitude/stigma much less so. (And in any case airpods are about the opposite of "imperceptible" so I fail to see any appeal other than the price)
With the AirPods now officially becoming hearing aids, it will hopefully reduce the stigma and attitude towards hearing aids and allow many more people to realize how bad their hearing actually is. I have been wearing hearing aids for a few years now (Phonak). I've also used the AirPods Pro with the accessibility audiogram feature (basically making them hearing aids), which is really good and has also been around for…
Note also phonaks are traditionally a couple thousand euros a piece while even the most expensive airpods are still around 300 the pair. Certainly the phonaks are impressively small, lasting, good quality, and imperceptible, but is the almost 10x price markup justified? The biggest problem with hearing aids (and doctors/calibrators/whatever) is that they are ridiculously expensive... the attitude/stigma much less so.…
On the other hand, I can't bring myself to keep earbuds (airpods or w/e) in my ears while talking to someone, regardless of if I can hear them properly, I just seems incredibly rude.
My uneducated opinion, is that someone using airpods as hearing aids is more likely to face stigma for that reason, than someone wearing what are clearly hearing aids, unless people actually know they have hearing issues.
I’m very positive about this development. I don’t personally need hearing aids (yet) but I know people that do, and dear god are they expensive pieces of equipment. Even if the AirPods aren’t perfect for everyone (not everyone wants in-ear devices) a big name like this getting in at that price-point might shake up the market.
Hearing aids are neither food nor drugs. Same goes for glasses and contact lenses, and CPAP machines. These should never have required approval or prescriptions in the first place. So many people are kept from getting what they need by these arbitrary restrictions.
How about Philips Respironics have to recall something like 15 million CPAP devices in 2021 because they contained foam liable to disintegrate and which the user would then inhale...
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Note also phonaks are traditionally a couple thousand euros a piece while even the most expensive airpods are still around 300 the pair. Certainly the phonaks are impressively small, lasting, good quality, and imperceptible, but is the almost 10x price markup justified? The biggest problem with hearing aids (and doctors/calibrators/whatever) is that they are ridiculously expensive... the attitude/stigma much less so.…
I don't think I've ever seen someone with a hearing aid and though anything negative of it, I get it people can be self-conscious, but for something like a hearing aid I think it's unjustified. On the other hand, I can't bring myself to keep earbuds (airpods or w/e) in my ears while talking to someone, regardless of if I can hear them properly, I just seems incredibly rude. My uneducated opinion, is that someone usin…
When Borg bluetooth earpieces first came out, they definitely carried a tech bro/fin bro/VC/etc. vibe that, at any moment, someone more important than you might want to get in touch with me.
I do think Airpods today carry a certain I'm not necessarily giving you my full attention vibe whereas an obvious hearing aid is a medical prosthetic. To the degree that Airpods replace hearing aids for some number of people or just assist people who aren't quite at the prescribed medical device level, that probably changes.
I’m conflicted on use of AirPods as hearing aids. I use one hearing aid and have normal hearing in the other ear. I often listen to things on my phone over the one hearing aid. It would be nice to have stereo. For this reason, AirPods for both listening to stuff and hearing assistance would be great. On the other hand, when I see someone wearing AirPods I assume they are listening to something else or are otherwise t…
The fact that Airpods don’t look like hearing aids is a key advantage for some people. it’s especially important to some young people for whom there is a bit of a stigma around wearing them.
To be clear, I think this is great. My dad bought something off Amazon as a backup for his hearing aid and tried to get remote tech support from me. Who knows what Chinese piece of crap he bought and what he needed to make it work? Fortunately the return was easy.
I'd have a lot more confidence in an Airpod.
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Rule of law FTW! Governments can't usually promise timelines, but when the process is well documented and predictable, that is a very good thing.
Literally nobody wants the government telling them what kind of headphones they are allowed to wear. This is a failure of the rule of law.