AirPods Are a Tragedy • Hacker News Board

Re: AirPods Are a Tragedy

#31

Post by _hao » Mon, May 13, 2019, 8:33 AM UTC

I’ve bought 3 Apple products so far and own 2 of them. iPhone, iPad and a MacBook Air for a gift. I’m extremely happy with all of them.

That being said I would never buy AirPods. The reason? They make you look like a douche. Maybe the sound quality is indeed good or so I am told, but I don’t care because I don’t want to be seen wearing them. I prefer my Sennheiser 4.40 BT. I know they’re different types of headphones, but I also have Sony SBH70 for listening to music while training. The Sony is pushing 2.5 years and can work for around 6.5 hours on a charge. They’ve paid for themselves a couple of times by now.

Re: AirPods Are a Tragedy

#32

Post by KozmoNau7 » Mon, May 13, 2019, 8:54 AM UTC

askafriend wrote: post #30

KozmoNau7 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Use a set of wired earbuds with a mic+remote. Done. All of the same functionality, without the hassle of recharging, and much less risk of dropping one and losing it. And less expensive, to boot. The only "downside" is that they don't signal conspicuous consumption like the airpods do.

I don't think you quite understand just how big of a difference not having wires makes. It makes ALL the difference. It's a complete game changer in the gym. And the UX of AirPods is such that I never think about charging. EVER. It's as if it has unlimited battery. AirPods have ruined every other pair of headphones for me in the context of casual listening. For more dedicated "ok let me sit down and really listen" ty…

>"I don't think you quite understand just how big of a difference not having wires makes."

I've been through the whole rigmarole of Bluetooth earpieces, wireless headphones, all of that stuff.

The only ones I've kept for years and use every day, never needing a recharge, never needing to be replaced? My inexpensive wired earphones, which sound better than any earphones Apple has ever made and will never run out of battery. Wrapping up the cable takes 2 seconds and they go in my pocket, always ready to go. No planned obsolescence, unlike the Airpods.

>"It's as if it has unlimited battery."

Until the battery dies, as mentioned in the article. Then it's just a useless wasteful trinket that has to replaced.

>"You can lose anything - including your phone, or wallet.

Neither of those are precariously balanced in my ears, just waiting for a bump while biking to knock them loose.

Re: AirPods Are a Tragedy

#33

Post by krustyburger » Mon, May 13, 2019, 6:35 PM UTC

hsbaut76 wrote: post #28

krustyburger wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When consumers decide that Apple products are no longer worth a significant premium for their design, their ease of use and the company’s acknowledgement of the existence of such a thing as user privacy (and I sincerely doubt this will happen for a very long time, if ever), they will stop selling so many products and their market share will shrink and so will their market capitalization. As someone who dislikes Apple…

Oh please, Apple is a hardware company and that's why their profits don't require the exploitation of user data, otherwise they would be doing it. I mean, they exploit the natural resources of the planet and 3rd world slaves to make completely unserviceable devices ridden with planned obsolescence, so why wouldn't they exploit your user data if they needed to? I'm not saying that other tech companies are any better,…

You make a fair point. I’m also aware that their pivot toward emphasizing user privacy smacks of opportunism. Not only because they are a hardware company, as you say, but because their rivals had left the territory completely virgin.

But even given this motive, I view privacy as the single most important issue in the tech industry at this time. I therefore am very glad that at least one powerful company is making a stand against the most nefarious practices of the others. So Apple will have my loyalty in my purchases as a consumer until they move away from the positions they have staked out. And, I hope the market will continue to reward them handsomely for what they are doing.

Re: AirPods Are a Tragedy

#34

Post by askafriend » Tue, May 14, 2019, 4:58 AM UTC

KozmoNau7 wrote: post #32

askafriend wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think you quite understand just how big of a difference not having wires makes. It makes ALL the difference. It's a complete game changer in the gym. And the UX of AirPods is such that I never think about charging. EVER. It's as if it has unlimited battery. AirPods have ruined every other pair of headphones for me in the context of casual listening. For more dedicated "ok let me sit down and really listen" ty…

>"I don't think you quite understand just how big of a difference not having wires makes." I've been through the whole rigmarole of Bluetooth earpieces, wireless headphones, all of that stuff. The only ones I've kept for years and use every day, never needing a recharge, never needing to be replaced? My inexpensive wired earphones, which sound better than any earphones Apple has ever made and will never run out of ba…

> Neither of those are precariously balanced in my ears, just waiting for a bump while biking to knock them loose.

I play 1:1 contact basketball with AirPods on. They don't fall out. Every other pair of headphones I've had (including my Jaybird X2s, headphones built for the gym) would fall out very often.

Wires are actually the biggest factor in headphones popping out while active. If your ears play well with AirPods, then they'll rarely fall out if ever. I do know friends whose ears aren't compatible though and they won't fit them at all - so there's that issue and I'm not sure what % of the population it affects.

> Until the battery dies, as mentioned in the article. Then it's just a useless wasteful trinket that has to replaced.

Fine by me. I had my first gen AirPods for two years, and I used them for hours every single day. I was more than happy to immediately buy AirPods 2 when they came out. I can just send the first gen AirPods back to Apple for recycling.

Look, it's an easy product to make fun of. It has such obvious and controversial tradeoffs. But the moment I tried them, it was so clear that AirPods and other headphones like them are the future. Having wires now feels like going to a Blackberry after trying the iPhone. People forget that the iPhone also made very obvious and controversial tradeoffs in it's first iteration - people balked at the price and the lack of 3G. Didn't matter, the future is here. Form factor is king. Sound quality is secondary and for good reason. People want to make that tradeoff no matter how much audiophiles think it's blasphemy.

Re: AirPods Are a Tragedy

#35

Post by KozmoNau7 » Tue, May 14, 2019, 9:23 AM UTC

askafriend wrote: post #34

KozmoNau7 wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>"I don't think you quite understand just how big of a difference not having wires makes." I've been through the whole rigmarole of Bluetooth earpieces, wireless headphones, all of that stuff. The only ones I've kept for years and use every day, never needing a recharge, never needing to be replaced? My inexpensive wired earphones, which sound better than any earphones Apple has ever made and will never run out of ba…

> Neither of those are precariously balanced in my ears, just waiting for a bump while biking to knock them loose. I play 1:1 contact basketball with AirPods on. They don't fall out. Every other pair of headphones I've had (including my Jaybird X2s, headphones built for the gym) would fall out very often. Wires are actually the biggest factor in headphones popping out while active. If your ears play well with AirPods…

Just as a personal observation, why are you playing contact basketball with earphones in? Are you listening to music while playing a team sport? Are you waiting for calls that are so important that you cannot be out of reach for ~30 minutes?

That seems so completely and utterly alien to me, this odd obsession with multitasking seems counterproductive.

I enjoy getting away from any kind of electronics and communication while I'm working out, letting me focus completely on the workout and nothing else. Plus sweat ruins earphones and the gym is playing music anyway.

>"If your ears play well with AirPods, then they'll rarely fall out if ever. I do know friends whose ears aren't compatible though and they won't fit them at all - so there's that issue and I'm not sure what % of the population it affects."

That's straying dangerously into "you're holding it wrong" territory.

>"Fine by me. I had my first gen AirPods for two years, and I used them for hours every single day. I was more than happy to immediately buy AirPods 2 when they came out. I can just send the first gen AirPods back to Apple for recycling."

Recycling is not an excuse, it does not absolve you of the responsibility for your over-consumption, nor does it absolve Apple of their wasteful design choices. Airpods are disposable by design. No amount of recycling will ever make up for the fact that their entire design is the very definition of planned obsolescence.