Apple AirPods: iPhone accessory or the next big thing? • Hacker News Board

Re: Apple AirPods: iPhone accessory or the next big thing?

#161

Post by jiofih » Tue, Jan 07, 2020, 10:34 PM UTC

paxys wrote: post #116

123six wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Correct, these are all estimates. And the sales split is unclear, but both Airpods 2 and Airpods Pro have the benefit of launching before the holidays. They got a disproportionate number of sales from those 2 months. Even if everyone went with the $150 version (which is impossible), Airpods revenue would still be $9 billion at 60 million units. The point still stands though, Apple is making a killing off Airpods. Whe…

I am of course not debating that AirPods are successful. However, - If one random sales estimate is $6 billion and the other is $12 billion, it is clear that there isn't enough information out there, or something else is amiss. This isn't just a margin of error difference, and would completely change the graph in the parent article. - There is nothing useful to be taken away from comparing its sales numbers against a…

The difference between 9 and 12 billion matters absolutely nil for the main point of the piece. Seems like you just feel the need to somehow dismiss it? Why?

Re: Apple AirPods: iPhone accessory or the next big thing?

#162

Post by jVinc » Tue, Jan 07, 2020, 10:34 PM UTC

gumby wrote: post #125

gz5 wrote: post #40

Amazing how Apple managed to make the first cool MP3 player, then the first cool smartphone and now the first cool bluetooth headset. For almost 20 years now, Apple has owned electronic fashion. Sony for example was unable to parlay its Walkman dominance into similar positions with new devices. And make no mistake about it - a huge portion of these sales are people buying Apple's marketing - not buying the tech itsel…

> Sony for example was unable to parlay its Walkman dominance into similar positions with new devices. Actually the Walkman (which was arguably Sony's second breakout product, the first being a transistor radio) Sony was definitely the cool kid. And don't forget the Playstation or the Trinitron. In fact Steve Jobs explicitly emulated and admired Sony for their (then) sense of style, customer appeal and quality. The S…

OP wasn't saying walkman wasn't cool or have a significant market position, in fact he's saying the exact opposite. That Sony had the position an failed to use it to position new devices. Apple turned the iPod into the iPhone and iPad and now they have AirPods coming off of the same train using each product brand to push the brand of the next.

Sony had the Walkman but missed the mp3-player market, didn't bring out a walkman phone, and now they have a product competing with AirPods that's naturally completely disconnected from the walkman both directly and indirectly because "walkmen are ancient" which is not some universal truth, that's just what they let their previously powerful brand degrade to. They've wisely chosen to brand their Airpod competitor the Sony WF1000XM3, who doesn't want products that sound like version of cruiser missiles, or shipping container dimensions? Ironically I heard a friened describe his pair as his "Sony AirPods", because that's what they are to him, the equivalent of Apple AirPods but cheaper and made by Sony, because even the people who own the product can't remember the name. So naturally friends ask why not get "Real" AirPods? And his answer was price, which makes the product sound like a cheap discount version. But it's in the same price range and same quality and even beat out the AirPods in some reviews. Talk about a branding disaster.

Re: Apple AirPods: iPhone accessory or the next big thing?

#163

Post by jedberg » Tue, Jan 07, 2020, 10:35 PM UTC

kristianc wrote: post #135

eanzenberg wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure about the marketing swaying people these days. People are going for the easiest devices to use that get out of the way and are high quality.

Which I guess would explain why there are Android phones that crush the iPhone on tech specs but make a minuscule (and sometimes negative) proportion of the industry’s profit?

At this point no matter how amazing the Android is, I would find the iPhone easier. I've been using an iPhone for so long it's just second nature. At one point I was forced to use an Android for a month. I could just never get used to the interface.

Re: Apple AirPods: iPhone accessory or the next big thing?

#164

Post by abtinf » Tue, Jan 07, 2020, 10:36 PM UTC

basch wrote: post #30

dsalzman wrote: post #25

Airpods are an integral part of Apple's future medical ambition. Always in ear Airpods constantly taking your Temp, HR, Glucose, GSR, etc. With the kicker that it is only stored locally and securely on your device, all processing done locally via HealthKit. That customized data will change how we think about patient care.

>With the kicker that it is only stored locally Do you think most people would want to lose all their data if they lose their device?

It has the option to backup to iCloud with end-to-end encryption.

Re: Apple AirPods: iPhone accessory or the next big thing?

#165

Post by jonny_eh » Tue, Jan 07, 2020, 10:36 PM UTC

sosborn wrote: post #45

skyyler wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That doesn't differ from their other offerings... Their laptops and phones do not have replaceable batteries, why would their headphones?

Those batteries are replaceable, just not by you (officially anyway).

The batteries are not replaceable, at all.

> An update to Monday’s report: Apple has confirmed that the new AirPods Pro are no more repairable than previous versions of the wireless earbuds. The pods are made partly with recyclable materials but due to size and build process (i.e glue) it doesn’t repair. Just replace.

https://twitter.com/LaurenGoode/status/1189663651214450688

Re: Apple AirPods: iPhone accessory or the next big thing?

#166

Post by Fnoord » Tue, Jan 07, 2020, 10:36 PM UTC

jonny_eh wrote: post #153

Fnoord wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Pebble? Still no decent replacement for it.

I loved my Pebble, but it was certainly not cool. Also didn't work as well as my Apple Watch, which I waited until my beloved Pebble finally died before buying.

Apple Watch is 4+ times the price. It still can't do some of the things a Pebble can. For starters, a Pebble can run a week without requiring recharge.

Re: Apple AirPods: iPhone accessory or the next big thing?

#167

Post by Vysero » Tue, Jan 07, 2020, 10:37 PM UTC

I really don't understand. Why would someone pay $120 for a product they can buy online from a off brand retailer for half the price? I must be missing something. How are airpods better than say Cambridge Audio Melomania's which are almost half the cost?

Re: Apple AirPods: iPhone accessory or the next big thing?

#168

Post by projektfu » Tue, Jan 07, 2020, 10:37 PM UTC

aduitsis wrote: post #137

radlad wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry to burst your bubble, I'm a long-time Android user who switched to the iPhone 6S for about a year and a half, then back to a Pixel 2. Following its release, I bought the iPhone XS expecting to love it and be done with Android. Oh, how wrong I was. Siri is still garbage, CarPlay is terrible compared to Android Auto. And there's nothing even similar to Google Home. Apple's hands-free story is completely nonexiste…

Can Android today handle voice dialing non-English names in the address book? If not, their hands-free story leaves a lot to be desired as well.

Yes, with phonetic names, an optional field like the pronunciation name in iOS.

Re: Apple AirPods: iPhone accessory or the next big thing?

#169

Post by spullara » Tue, Jan 07, 2020, 10:38 PM UTC

gz5 wrote: post #40

Amazing how Apple managed to make the first cool MP3 player, then the first cool smartphone and now the first cool bluetooth headset. For almost 20 years now, Apple has owned electronic fashion. Sony for example was unable to parlay its Walkman dominance into similar positions with new devices. And make no mistake about it - a huge portion of these sales are people buying Apple's marketing - not buying the tech itsel…

You missed the first cool smart watch.

Re: Apple AirPods: iPhone accessory or the next big thing?

#170

Post by 013a » Tue, Jan 07, 2020, 10:38 PM UTC

paxys wrote: post #116

123six wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Correct, these are all estimates. And the sales split is unclear, but both Airpods 2 and Airpods Pro have the benefit of launching before the holidays. They got a disproportionate number of sales from those 2 months. Even if everyone went with the $150 version (which is impossible), Airpods revenue would still be $9 billion at 60 million units. The point still stands though, Apple is making a killing off Airpods. Whe…

I am of course not debating that AirPods are successful. However, - If one random sales estimate is $6 billion and the other is $12 billion, it is clear that there isn't enough information out there, or something else is amiss. This isn't just a margin of error difference, and would completely change the graph in the parent article. - There is nothing useful to be taken away from comparing its sales numbers against a…

I would find an estimate like "AirPods make more money than Spotify" interesting; its a sort-of poetic "the hardware you use to listen to the music is worth more than the music itself", at least in a limited scope (of course, the entire audio hardware industry is larger than Spotify, but is the entire audio hareware industry larger than the entire music recording industry? idk).