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AirPods don't “just work”

philip.design

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Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#521

Post by AdamN »

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…

The lightning to 1/8" adapter is <$10 and very small. Works 100% of the time.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#522

Post by pritambaral »

openknot wrote: post #282
dspillett wrote: post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Though being able to use the right tool, in circumstances where that is a wired set, can be a problem on some platforms.

This is true (iPhones, iPads, and plenty of Android phones these days), but can be mitigated by carrying a USB-C to 3.5 mm audio adapter in the pouch that contains the IEMs. I wish people didn't have to, but it's a straightforward solution that widely improves wired compatibility.

> ... that widely improves wired compatibility.

"Wired compatibility" was ubiquitous before. It didn't have room to "improve". Removing the jack is what broke "wired compatibility".

Needing a dongle for sth is not an "improved" form of using it, when you could have just used it without a dongle.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#523

Post by tarboreus »

wtetzner wrote: post #476
dpark wrote: post #467

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> but the choice has been made for all people who do not experience that What are you talking about? Is someone stopping you from using wired earbuds?

You're not technically stopped, you just have to pay extra money to get an adapter, with the additional downside that you can no longer charge the phone while using those headphones.

The old jack was also more solidly connected than the current inclement weather port (sorry, can't remember ifit's lightning, thunderbolt, or wizard strike).

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#524

Post by hbn »

germinalphrase wrote: post #445
hbn wrote: post #306

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Am I crazy or have Airpods gotten worse recently? I didn't get mine until recently (November?) and for the first month or so they kinda did work perfectly. The auto-pairing was annoying like the article mentions (switching from my Mac where I want it to my phone cause I pulled it out to look at something), but I turned that off and it was all good. But at some point in December I started constantly getting the issue…

Clearly, no one at Apple considered cold weather when designing the pinch based Airpod Pro interface. Just about impossible with gloves.

Yeah, that's actually one of the reasons I didn't go for the 3rd gen even though they were out when I got mine

I can't use that through a toque, whereas with the 1st gen I can double tap the side of my head through the toque and it pauses

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#525

Post by rdedev »

yoz-y wrote: post #113
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...

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.

My go to solution for such annoyances is to pass the cable through the inside of my shirt. Not the most elegant solution but saved me a lot oh headache :D

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#526

Post by heleninboodler »

tptacek wrote: post #296
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...

I love wired headphones, but I have never had a pair whose cable didn't short out within a year; I got to the point where I'd buy replacement cables with the headphones. I've got B&O's, NAD's, and Sennheisers, both open and closed, and: I might as well keep them in a lighted display case, because I never use them anymore. Once Apple came out with the Max AirPods, I was done with wired headphones. I don't want to be!…

I think this is a fascinating aspect to the overall wired-vs-wireless debate. Some people simply have a problem with wires and some don't. I have three pairs of over-the-ear wired headphones that have been with me for 7, ~10, and >20 years, respectively, and none of them have ever had any cable damage. I've never ended up with flaky wiring on a cheap pair of apple earbuds, either. The very cheap earbuds that came with my HTC G-2 did end up with flaky cables but they're an aberration in my experience. Coincidentally, or perhaps not, I really don't have any grudge against wires, but I do loathe the fidgety connectivity of bluetooth.

Of course, I'm also baffled about how everyone I know and hear about seems to be unable to keep their macbook power cable from self-destructing, and I just keep accumulating them because they never die. My favorite one is still a MagSafe 1 from, I think, 2012.

[edit: in retrospect, perhaps the fact that I have a "favorite" power cable is some kind of red flag. Re-evaluating my life...]

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#527

Post by dont__panic »

dpark wrote: post #515
jamestanderson wrote: post #505

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For one thing, I'd buy an iPhone again.

I wonder how many people have actually stopped buying iPhones due to the removal of the minijack. I bet it’s noise to Apple’s revenue. I also expect that they save more in the hardware simplification than they lose on sales.

Probably not a lot. But it's one of those "death by a thousand cuts" things I can't ignore in an iphone purchase. Between that and the fingerprint reader, I'm out. If they brought either back I could justify it.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#528

Post by jamestanderson »

dpark wrote: post #515
jamestanderson wrote: post #505

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For one thing, I'd buy an iPhone again.

I wonder how many people have actually stopped buying iPhones due to the removal of the minijack. I bet it’s noise to Apple’s revenue. I also expect that they save more in the hardware simplification than they lose on sales.

I'm sure it's 100% worth it for them financially. Me not buying an iPhone because it doesn't have a headphone jack means nothing to them.

I think what will hurt them in the long run is their pattern of user-hostility will start to affect their image. For instance:

* Right to repair gaining steam (Apple now introducing some basic form of parts availability)

* Apple eroding their image as a Privacy company (Apple had to delay their "child safety" tools after public outcry)

* iMessage lock-in (Apple users "bullying" Android users due to Apple's hostile UI choices).

Those are just the recent examples that come to mind.

It'll all add up until Apple has a PR problem that actually does start affecting their bottom line, and then they'll have to make concessions that'll make people happy again.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#529

Post by criddell »

Wowfunhappy wrote: post #264
criddell wrote: post #250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Their battery life was infinite. That's true, but only because they used your device's battery. It takes more power for your phone to drive headphones than it does to transmit a bluetooth signal. This is not such a big issue any more since recent phones have crazy long battery life as do recent bluetooth headphones. In 2017 it was a bigger issue.

> It takes more power for your phone to drive headphones than it does to transmit a bluetooth signal. ...are you sure? And, is that still true even once you consider the extra encoding the phone’s CPU has to do? I was under the impression that conventional 3.55mm jacks output exceedingly little power...

It's true but there are a bunch of little caveats. How big are the drivers, at what volume are you listening, headphone impedance, etc...

These days it really don't matter. Phone have ample battery capacity.

Re: AirPods don't “just work”

#530

Post by megapolitics »

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

>What were you doing with your headphone cables?

Getting them caught on door handles, mostly.

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