AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair • Hacker News Board

Re: AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair

#21

Post by Otek » Fri, Jul 18, 2025, 4:40 PM UTC

FredPret wrote: post #12

sticilface wrote: post #8

My first HN comment. It’s the monopoly tie in… so many features that other just cannot provide. Hey siri… handover to name a few. It’s a total disgrace IMHO. To think how much Microsoft got fined for just bundling IE..

How dare Apple sell me exactly what I want: an integrated computing environment

The problem is that other manufacturers can’t create headphones that integrate on the same level because those protocols are exclusive only to devices manufactured by Apple

Re: AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair

#22

Post by csomar » Fri, Jul 18, 2025, 4:40 PM UTC

I've actually had this particular product fail on me twice, and coincidentally, I was just talking to a friend today whose AirPods are degrading after only 1.5 years. That's the same timeframe when both my regular AirPods and AirPods Pro started failing.

I might have just been unlucky, but I'd be happy to hear some positive experiences because as a product (especially the Pro), it really is brilliant.

Re: AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair

#23

Post by pyman » Fri, Jul 18, 2025, 4:41 PM UTC

When Apple discontinued the first generation of AirPods, the final firmware release had a bug that was never fixed. It caused the left AirPod to disconnect after one or two minutes. Hundreds of thousands of loyal customers were affected [0], including me. You couldn't even buy a second hand left AirPod because of a firmware version mismatch.

I still love Apple products, but under Tim Cook, it feels like they care more about margins than customers.

[0] https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250494933?sortBy=rank

Re: AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair

#24

Post by lxgr » Fri, Jul 18, 2025, 4:41 PM UTC

ghaff wrote: post #5

lxgr wrote: post #4

In my experience, the battery degrades fast enough to not require any nudging people to upgrade feature-wise.

A lot pobably depends on how much you use them. (I use mine seldom--mostly when traveling.) But experiences seem to differ.

Definitely. I use mine for hours every day, and given that, I'm not really disappointed in their battery durability.

Also, I feel like the change to not charge the airbuds themselves fully unless required has really made a difference, at least subjectively.

Re: AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair

#25

Post by kylehotchkiss » Fri, Jul 18, 2025, 4:41 PM UTC

One of mine doesn't want to charge anymore, so I went to buy wired EarPods or whatever for $20. They stay in my ears better.

Re: AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair

#26

Post by dlisboa » Fri, Jul 18, 2025, 4:41 PM UTC

timpera wrote: post #2

Wait, y'all can still use your 3 year old AirPods? On mines, the battery went nuts in ~18 months, and I don't even use them that much.

I have a 6 year old pair, battery last about 20 minutes tops.

Re: AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair

#27

Post by FredPret » Fri, Jul 18, 2025, 4:41 PM UTC

timpera wrote: post #2

Wait, y'all can still use your 3 year old AirPods? On mines, the battery went nuts in ~18 months, and I don't even use them that much.

I used my previous pair for 7 years. I logged 5 months of continuous audiobook listening in that time, and probably just as much time with music + TV.

Incredible for a tiny $100 - or whatever it cost back then - battery-powered device.

Re: AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair

#28

Post by dayvid » Fri, Jul 18, 2025, 4:44 PM UTC

Moved from Airpods to Galaxy Buds Pro and haven't looked back. Much better sound quality and not as finnicky. Also easier to find decent prices via sales or refurbished

Re: AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair

#29

Post by hyghjiyhu » Fri, Jul 18, 2025, 4:45 PM UTC

For me it's 3.5mm over ears. I'm not an audiophile, but it bothers me went when the sound cuts out half a second because of Bluetooth issues.

Re: AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair

#30

Post by kfarr » Fri, Jul 18, 2025, 4:45 PM UTC

I don't agree at all. I love the product but I have to buy a new pair of airpods every few years very consistently. It's either battery capacity loss, or crackling audio issues, or both to the point of not being usable. The Apple Genius always comes up with a story like "well it's out of warranty and the cost of repair is about the same as just buying new ones so you make the call dear customer."