AirPods are now available • Hacker News Board

Re: AirPods are now available

#261

Post by bhauer » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 10:55 PM UTC

j2bax wrote: post #227

bhauer wrote: post #221

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Motorola S305: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002BH3I9U They're from ~2009 or thereabouts. Traditional headphone form factor. Works great for my use case (pedestrian commutes to and from the office).

I had a pair of wired Sony's wayyyyy back in the day in this wrap around ear/neck band form factor that I really loved when I was a kid. Lately though, I find anything that covers my ear too warm and uncomfortable. This is why I'm excited about the AirPods. I wouldn't really classify these Motorola's as truly wireless because of the connecting band.

That's cool with me. A sense I have picked up from your reply and another message in this thread is that Apple is attempting to evolve the definition of "wireless headphone" to require no bridge between the two ears. I think that is a vocabulary change that is causing a lot of us to scratch our heads in confusion. Conventionally, "wireless headphone" has meant no wire to the device—no headphone cable and no 3.5mm connector. And by that definition, wireless headphones are old and boring.

That said, I'm not a fan of earbuds, wired or otherwise. So whether removing the bridge wire is a revolution is lost on me since I'm not interested either way.

Re: AirPods are now available

#262

Post by wmeredith » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 10:55 PM UTC

skynetv2 wrote: post #39

Why is Apple so obsessed with calling everything "magical". If anyone believes this is magic, they also need to believe Apple employs wizards & witches.

For most people computers and technology is already magic.

Re: AirPods are now available

#263

Post by wmeredith » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 10:56 PM UTC

OliverJones wrote: post #211

"double-tap" ?? Isn't that jargon used by snipers to describe the use of two rounds of ammo?

Yes. Do you find it confusing in this scenario? Do you think they mean shoot twice?

Re: AirPods are now available

#264

Post by Namidairo » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 10:56 PM UTC

remarkEon wrote: post #107

These look extraordinarily uncomfortable, especially if I'm supposed to have them in my ears more than usual headphones - or even as long as my current model. If Apple is trying to make an in-ear controller ala Her , I do not see these as something I'll pick up. Curious. Will there be third-party headphones that work here?

Third party headphones should work just fine, I don't see Apple breaking A2DP just to push their own product.

The fancypants features like iCloud sync and inserted ear detection though, I suspect that'll take some manufacturers some reverse engineering or exchanges of money for details.

Re: AirPods are now available

#265

Post by coldtea » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 10:57 PM UTC

Amezarak wrote: post #194

gambiting wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's like calling a Tesla "an electric version of the same cars that were on the road for decades". Each headphone has a new chip that could probably run a whole smartphone few years ago - but I mean, if the fact that they are wireless is not impressive, then I don't think we can convince you.

He's probably not impressed by the fact they're wireless because wireless headphones aren't new. I mean, even stodgy grumps like me have a pair that works well and cost $20. Wireless headphones just aren't impressive technology in December 2016. They've been done. Again and again. This isn't a Tesla situation by any means. Apple might have executed particularly well, but I see his point.

>I mean, even stodgy grumps like me have a pair that works well and cost $20.

Wireless headphones that "work well" don't cost $20. And especially in this form factor (separate).

Re: AirPods are now available

#266

Post by wmeredith » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 10:57 PM UTC

nomel wrote: post #250

jsatk wrote: post #8

I truly do not get the hype around this.

Oh come on, have some fun. We're slowly moving into that future tech world that we saw in movies and dreamt up when we were kids. These are wireless earbuds . My first pair of wireless headphones used IR, took two AA batteries, were huge, heavy, and sounded horrible once you started losing sight of the transmitter! Sure, it's a small step in mass-market technology, but that's the only way tech moves forward for most…

You will find no fun at Hackernews. Only contrarians.

Re: AirPods are now available

#267

Post by prawn » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 10:57 PM UTC

antiffan wrote: post #174

A feature I'd love to see: sync to AirPods. I imagine it won't happen because in some ways it's kind of backwards, but I hate running with my phone, especially because I have a huge 6+. It seems like a simple thing to just want to be able to take some of my music/podcasts with me running, but it's not realistic unless I own a separate iPod shuffle that I then have to deal with. Adding a small amount of memory to AirP…

Presumably you would have to sync the iPod Shuffle equivalent as you would the AirPods. Maybe the issue is more with their syncing? (I know I find it annoying.)

DHH from 37Signals mentioned on Twitter recently that he has two iPhones - 6+ and a 6. Larger one for around the house, in bed, etc and the other when out and about. It struck me as an almost affordable luxury for some people, if you can endure any syncing hassles.

Re: AirPods are now available

#268

Post by rhizome » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 10:57 PM UTC

macintux wrote: post #246

1_2__3 wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The most profitable company in the world doesn't need us to carry their water for them. Let Gruber take care of that. You're literally trying to defend Apple for using the term "magical" to refer to a pair of pedestrian wireless headhones. Come on.

I'm still waiting to see a list of "pedestrian wireless headphones" that are actually wireless and automatically pair all your devices via the cloud.

To be sure, if that's the definition of "magical" we're working with here, I'm not sure it reaches.

Re: AirPods are now available

#269

Post by rhizome » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 10:59 PM UTC

FireBeyond wrote: post #7

There's like a next-level Apple marketing babble on that page: "AirPods introduce an effortless wireless listening experience packed with high-quality audio and long battery life. These magical wireless headphones use advanced technology to reinvent how we listen to music, make phone calls, enjoy TV shows and movies, play games and interact with Siri, providing a wireless audio experience not possible before." Magica…

These magical wireless headphones use advanced technology to reinvent how we listen to music

Do we still have to use ears?

Re: AirPods are now available

#270

Post by bhauer » Tue, Dec 13, 2016, 11:00 PM UTC

j_jochem wrote: post #233

bhauer wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't speak for the other guys above, but I must have missed something. I am baffled why this particular set of wireless headphones has received as much press as it has. It seems so overblown that I have to wonder if people with iPhone 7s have actually been refusing to use existing wireless headphones because they are actually waiting for these. I've had a set of $25 Motorola wireless (Bluetooth) headphones that I…

From my experience, Bluetooth audio's sound quality is abysmal. I figure that's why an alternative system is getting so much hype.

I would agree that old Bluetooth devices (especially those from around 2005 or earlier) often sounded poor. But modern Bluetooth devices (say 2009 onward) have generally sounded fine/great. I would go so far as to say that if you're listening to MP3s and not FLAC, then Bluetooth isn't your biggest signal loss.