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AirPods don't “just work”

philip.design

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Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#381

Post by acomjean »

criddell wrote: post #279
Wowfunhappy wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That also further increases the interoperability problem though, if I can't use my headphones with non-Apple devices even after going through the pairing dance. (Unless Apple uses some other open protocol, which I doubt!)

If Apple does go proprietary you won't be any worse off, assuming they still support Bluetooth (and I'd be very surprised if they stopped supporting Bluetooth).

They’ll keep Bluetooth. The “find my” airtag eco system depends on it. Plus car audio and external speakers.

I always wonder if the removal of the headphone jack was a ploy to get iPhone users to use Bluetooth so the find my network worked better..

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#383

Post by rabuse »

Had a problem with my AirPods just the other day trying to show someone some "cool features" they can use them for. I go to put them in, and they essentially disappeared from my iPhone's bluetooth list, and it was not possible to reconnect them until I restarted my phone. I just said "they're great when they work..."

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#384

Post by morelish »

I have found HomePod (mini) to be not great. Doesn't work well with third party services like Spotify or radio providers, so it's content is limited. There's also a very large lag (5 seconds ish) for the sound to stream from my phone or Mac to the HomePod. Pausing or starting sound is delayed by 5 seconds (ish). The lag is so large you cannot really use the HomePod as a speaker attached to a Mac, if you watch a video, the sound comes in 5 seconds delayed. Bit of a pity. Hopefully the next versions will improve the lag. Even providing physical audio cable input would be good. As the speaker itself is fairly nice.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#385

Post by DoingIsLearning »

323 wrote: post #360
InitialLastName wrote: post #329

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can't add it with a software update, but you could provide a modular phy (or continue support for older standards).

Not talking about you since I don't know, but a funny thing I noticed, is that people who are very loud about saving the environment are always the ones with the latest iPhone 13 Max/Macbook Pro M1 in their hands one week after it's released.

Notice that you just went from "people don't really want it", to "it's not really feasible", all the way to straight up ad hominem.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#386

Post by OJFord »

enaaem wrote: post #380
Wowfunhappy wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Y’know what headphones really did “just work” though? Wired headphones, circa 2017. Their battery life was infinite. You could “pair” them in seconds to any device with a headphone jack, aka any device, because we’re in 2017. Oh, and they were cheaper and better for the environment. Courage, indeed. And this is why I’m currently typing my comment on an iPhone 6S...

For out of the house, I would never go back to wired in-ears anymore. Untangling cables and the occasional yank out of your ear is not user friendly. For outside, I actually find wireless headphones to sound better for three main reasons: - Better fit. Proper fit is essential for good sound and I rarely get a good fit on wired in-ears due to the constant pull on the cord. - Microphonics (cable rubbing noise). Microph…

> Noise cancelling. Music sounds better without bus engine sounds.

That's nothing to do with wireless though?

I'm a bit of a convert to (Anker .. 'SoundCore P2' I think) wireless earphones (AirPod style, not sports-style-round-back-of-neck), but for ages I used noise cancelling wired earphones, with a little Bluetooth receiver when I wanted them wireless that I thought was the best of both worlds. I now think no wire at all is nicer though. (But probably not if I had to pay Apple prices! These Anker ones were £30.)

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#387

Post by 0xcde4c3db »

mcronce wrote: post #288
megapolitics wrote: post #196

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Their battery life was infinite. However, the life of the cable was a few months at best in my experience.

What were you doing with your headphone cables? I've been using the same one with my current pair since I bought them three years ago. Prior to switching to cans, I used the same set of cheap wired earbuds for five years - and they're still working

I've had cables go bad in multiple sets of headphones that I barely even used, let alone subjected to the expected rigors of travel or heavy use. As far as I can tell, a lot of cheap 3.5mm plugs have strain relief that's basically just ornamental, and even a modest amount of flexing or vibration will quickly break one of the wires.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#388

Post by saimiam »

CalChris wrote: post #268
yoz-y wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly, the fact that I no longer snag my earphones on random protrusions, like doorknobs and bus ticket validating machines is a bliss. Cables inside at a desk: sure, why not. Cables outside: hard pass.

Yes. Mobility is why I got the Air Pods Pro to begin with. I don't use them with my Air and I don't even want them to pair with my Air; wired ear buds are fine (and cheap!) for that. But they're great for walking and working out. The Air Pods Pro even stay in my ears while erging. Still, the OP's complaints are valid. But when they work, which is most of the time, they're great. Surprisingly (but not insanely) great.

Tangent but what’s “erging”? Never heard this before and the spellcheck has a red squiggly below it, so it has not heard of it either.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#389

Post by rejor121 »

munk-a wrote: post #323
Cthulhu_ wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd pass the wires through my shirt, keep them from snagging or pulling my ears too much.

Back in the day I made good use of those oversized jacket pockets to pop my CD player in - then you just run the cable up under your shirt and you're good to go. It's surprising how little of a hassle headphone cables can be - I understand that the market is going elsewhere but I've stuck with wired and couldn't be more content. This does have the side effect that I've been soft locked out of Apple phones though, so…

Back in my day I used my tape player the same way. Plus it was smaller and more compact than those new fangled cd players!

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#390

Post by elif »

dt2m wrote: post #63

All valid annoyances, but I really think OP should try using another brand of Bluetooth headphones for a week just to get some perspective of how well AirPods "just work" compared to the competition. Manually having to re-pair once in every blue moon, one earbud playing while the other isn't, no automatic device switching without having to go through the Settings app everytime, A/V desync, dodgy mic quality, earbuds…

i dont have any of these issues with galaxy buds pro...
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