Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair

victorwynne.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

61–70 of 87 posts

Re: AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair

#61

Post by pyman »

Jtsummers wrote: post #57
pyman wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tim Cook sent me a firmware update overnight. After that, kappom! He also locked me into the Apple ecosystem, and I've been trying to escape since 2020, but no luck so far. The AirPods Pro and watch pulled me right back in. Unfortunately, these gadgets work too well with my ridiculously overpriced iPhone.

> He also locked me into the Apple ecosystem, and I've been trying to escape since 2020, but no luck so far. You made a choice, you could have made different choices. You can still make different choices. You have agency, exercise it instead of complaining that Tim Cook is locking you to an ecosystem that you can freely leave at any time.

I've got options, but not always a real choice. Most ecosystems are designed to lock you in. I tried other things, like Sony earbuds, but they didn't integrate properly with the OS, Apple didn't allow it. Tried another watch, same thing. So, options? Yes. Real choice? Not really.

Did I mention I also have around 10 AirTags? I'm trying to get rid of those too, but it hasn't been easy

Re: AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair

#62

Post by avidiax »

js2 wrote: post #19

My AirPods Pro (2nd gen) are just about 3 years old, still going strong, used daily for anywhere from 30-minutes to a few hours. I recently rented a U-Haul cargo van and had to drive it empty for a few hours. It would've been deafening without the AirPods. The noise cancellation works great for something like that. My AirPods Pro first gen are nearly 6 years old, same use up till I gave them to my wife. She uses them…

I have these custom IEM tips, but for a discontinued pair of Sony headphones. I wouldn't say seal (on the earbud side) is perfect, but the fit on my ears is perfect. They never just fall out of my ears, and are super comfortable.

https://www.adv-sound.com/products/eartune-fidelity-custom-f...

Re: AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair

#63

Post by Brybry »

kfarr wrote: post #30

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."

It'll be interesting to see how the EU Battery regulation that requires user-replaceable batteries impacts this when it comes into force in 2027. [1][2]

[1] https://environment.ec.europa.eu/news/new-law-more-sustainab...

[2] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1542/oj#:~:text=Artic...

Re: AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair

#64

Post by mojo-ponderer »

Apple does not have a good track record of making devices that are built to last. It has repeatedly opposed right-to-repair legislation, and has been exposed as secretly throttling the CPU of phones as the battery decays, without making that known to users. If it really is Apple's vision to sell AirPods as a lasting product, it stands in stark contrast to its overall history.

Re: AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair

#65

Post by ghaff »

brianfitz wrote: post #49

I have: 1. Lost a pair 2. Lost one bud from a pair 3. Washed them 4. Swam in the ocean with them 5. Had a pair generally degrade So I know once I buy a pair, I'm good for about a year until I need another. That's also when I tend to notice the new features. :-)

I won't use them in a plane because I know I'd lose them. Carry a separate pair of wired noise canceling earbuds for flying.

Re: AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair

#66

Post by Spartan-S63 »

mojo-ponderer wrote: post #64

Apple does not have a good track record of making devices that are built to last. It has repeatedly opposed right-to-repair legislation, and has been exposed as secretly throttling the CPU of phones as the battery decays, without making that known to users. If it really is Apple's vision to sell AirPods as a lasting product, it stands in stark contrast to its overall history.

Your point about opposing right-to-repair is true.

The one about battery throttling is missing a lot of context and is extremely disingenuous. Apple noticed that aging batteries couldn't provide the voltage and would crash the phone, so they reduced the speed at which the CPU could reach full frequency so they wouldn't crash the device. It didn't throttle the peak speed of the CPU, but rather how quickly it would increase its clock. It wasn't done maliciously or for planned obsolescence reasons, but rather to provide existing iPhone owners a better experience on their aging device.

Re: AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair

#67

Post by Ancapistani »

Otek wrote: post #21
FredPret wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Other manufacturers don't seem interested. There's nothing stopping Samsung from creating an open ecosystem based on their hardware, but I don't see them making a serious effort to do so.

Re: AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair

#68

Post by Ancapistani »

Since they released, I've owned two pairs of AirPods, three pairs of AirPod Pros, and now I use AirPods Max.

The original AirPods were great. My first pair lasted years and I replaced them due to the batteries no longer lasting a full day for conference calls and such. I passed them down to my kids and replaced them.

The AirPods Pro had some teething issues but are clearly the better product IMO. My first pair had the "crackling" issue, so Apple replaced them under warranty. My second pair was great and lasted years. I left them home when I was on a work trip, so I picked up another set and passed the older ones down again. The third set developed the "crackling" issue after about six months.

Apple replaced them no questions asked, but managed to sell me on the Max while I was at the store. I was hesitant, but yielded after they revealed that they had a pair that had been returned open but apparently unused. They seemed perfect to me, and they offered to replace the ear pads "just in case".

At $350 for the returned pair, it still felt like too much to spend on headphones - but I was willing to give it a shot. I asked if I could hang out in the store for a while and try them. No problem. About fifteen minutes later another employee approached me that seemed more "manager-like" and told me that since I had brought in a pair of AirPods Pro for warranty replacement, she could issue me a $50 credit as a loyalty perk if I wanted to buy the Max.

All told, between the open-box discount, the offered credit, and a few random bucks I had in Apple Cash (which I never use and am not even sure how they got there), I walked out with them for ~$250.

Both my daughters now have AirPod Pros and I have the Max. My wife is the only holdout in the family, with her Galaxy Buds.

Re: AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair

#69

Post by mojo-ponderer »

Spartan-S63 wrote: post #66
mojo-ponderer wrote: post #64

Apple does not have a good track record of making devices that are built to last. It has repeatedly opposed right-to-repair legislation, and has been exposed as secretly throttling the CPU of phones as the battery decays, without making that known to users. If it really is Apple's vision to sell AirPods as a lasting product, it stands in stark contrast to its overall history.

Your point about opposing right-to-repair is true. The one about battery throttling is missing a lot of context and is extremely disingenuous. Apple noticed that aging batteries couldn't provide the voltage and would crash the phone, so they reduced the speed at which the CPU could reach full frequency so they wouldn't crash the device. It didn't throttle the peak speed of the CPU, but rather how quickly it would inc…

The issue is that Apple didn't make it clear to users what was happening, and so people thought that their phones were just slowing down from age, causing them to buy new ones without understanding that the only real issue was the battery. Apple has paid hundreds of millions in damages and fines due to this.

Re: AirPods succeed by not selling you a new pair

#70

Post by ghusto »

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #48
kfarr wrote: post #30

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."

Just FYI. I have several pair, because I thought the batteries were going too quickly. Turns out, I should have just not left the case on the charger, all the time. Nowadays, I just let them charge for a couple of hours, every few days, take them off the charger, and leave them in my coin tray. I haven’t had a single battery issue, since; even on the ones I thought were “dead.” But I think it’s a big design error, th…

> Turns out, I should have just not left the case on the charger, all the time.

I wouldn't feel too bad, because that's a design flaw.

Post reply on HN