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WHILE THE NEW iPhone 7 was the focal point of Apple’s event, the introduction of another product captured most of the attention.
Chances are you have heard about AirPods, Apple’s wireless earbuds, which have caught the eye both because of its small size and the large €179 price tag.
While the iPhone 7 will arrive here on 16 September, it will be the end of October before the AirPods make their appearance, but there is more to them than just being wireless earbuds.
So what you get for the price?
From first glance, they look like the normal earbuds that come with the iPhone but without the wires. Yet underneath it all are features that take advantage of the wireless capabilities.
Working with Bluetooth of most Apple products (iPhone 5 and up, iPad mini 2 and up, Apple Watch and Macs) provided they have the correct software, AirPods pair up automatically once you take them out of the case.
Both buds have a W1 wireless chip embedded inside them which lets them pair quickly with your phone as well as optical sensors and accelerometers. Those sensors allow for some handy features like if you start playing music on your phone and you don’t have them in your ear, they won’t play.
If you only have one earbud in your ear, it will only play from that one.
If you double-tap on the side of an AirPod, it activates Siri from which you can control things like the volume, play something else or carry out actions like calling someone or asking for directions.
It’s hard to see people wanting to change volume or track by talking, especially in public, as it will just look weird to anyone else around, or to not have a way to physically change the volume or start/stop like the wired version.
The case they come in also doubles up as a charger. While the AirPods themselves last for five hours, the case adds an extra 24 hours of battery life. Apple says that charging them in the case for 15 minutes equals three hours of battery life but that isn’t exactly great if you’re on a long journey or flight.
Also, the form factor is the same as the Apple’s regular earbuds so if you found them comfortable (or uncomfortable) before, then it’s more of the same here.
Why are people getting so annoyed about it?
Much of the anger and ridicule ties into how the iPhone 7 has ditched the 3.5mm headphone jack, and how Apple is effectively pushing people towards this new standard.
Unsurprisingly, its unveiling led to numerous jokes as well as concerns about losing them and small children choking on them.
Baz / TwitterBought some of those Apple #AirPods from a guy down the pub. The reception is crap but my ears are spotless. pic.twitter.com/M7Wg4sT9km
— Baz (@bazlyons) September 8, 2016
Ra_Bies / TwitterEven the people who haven't bought #AirPods are losing them
— Ra_Bies 3.0 (@Ra_Bies) September 8, 2016
Andhegames ♜ / TwitterIt's no big deal, here's a quick, cheap fix for #AirPods: pic.twitter.com/uxaRBQGkJ9
— AndHeGames (@AndHeGames) September 8, 2016
Internet Palace / TwitterJust saved myself $159 #AirPods pic.twitter.com/WyMyscy3ka
— Internet Palace (@InternetPalace) September 8, 2016
But to say this isn’t entirely fair as there are concessions. The new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will include both earbuds with Lightning port and an adaptor for regular headphones and AirPods are a separate purchase so it’s not forcing people to start buying wireless headphones.
But just because it’s not forcing them on users doesn’t mean it’s not trying to push people in that direction. The problem of charging and listening to music at the same time is one that will annoy users and wireless is a solution to this.
There are also other problems like creating different standards for headphones – wired headphones for the iPhone 7 won’t be compatible with non-Apple devices for example – and that’s something that will cause headaches for consumers in the medium-term.
At the same time, Apple is a business and like any company, it can benefit by moving people towards a new standard and dictating the terms for it. With iPhone sales slowing down, expanding into different areas now is a wise decision.
That’s not to say wireless will be a massive cash cow for it, but part of Apple’s success is how it can lock people into its iOS ecosystem, and making it tough to leave thanks to a number of factors.
Buying an iPhone can lead to buying Apple TV or buying a Macbook or extra accessories and so on. AirPods tie into this and that’s before you consider the range from Beats.
Will people bother paying for them?
Well, they’re a first generation product so the general public isn’t the main audience (yet). Instead, it will be the major fans and early adopters who will shell out the money for it, and many people will likely balk at the thought of paying €179 for them.
You can still get wireless headphones for cheaper but one of the main issues with them is the reliability of Bluetooth which is less than perfect. Apple may have figured out a way to prevent this, but it’s hard to know without trying them out for long periods (for what it is worth, the initial reception seems to be positive).
It’s unlikely AirPods will be an essential purchase when they arrive in October but whether you like it or not, Apple sees wireless playing a big role in its future. And even if you’re not sold on the idea now, chances are that will change.
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You know what you get for that price, ripped off that’s what
Aah the ecosystem… building a monoculture in the likeness Steve Gods
aaannd its lost
That’s what you call IEM :)
https://en-us.sennheiser.com/in-ear-headphones-earphones-ie-800-ceramic
I think I’ll stick to my Seinheiser ones and use the adaptor.
Better sound quality and more comfortable.
I’m generally an Apple fan, but I hate their earphones.
You get the opportunity to be screwed off by apple
I lost mine, damn! No problem, I’ll just use my old plugin ones…NooooooooooOOO!
PSB Speakers
best headphones ever
Not a Apple fan as everything they produce is overpriced
You’d have to be rich and stupid to pay 179 euro for these or just stupid
Nah just stupid, if you were rich I guess you could justify it by saying it’s not that much. But for the rest of us mere mortals…definitely stupid!
Dave why would have to be stupid maybe rich
Ireland is also the first country in the world where you can get the official Apple mouthpiece. It speaks with a Mayo accent.
Chapeau sir.
Definite contender for Joke of the Year.
So people will be walking around with 180 quid on the ears that can be easily grabbed. Wonder what johnny $cumbag will do.
What happens when one falls out of your ear and you don’t notice it until it’s lost
You go have your hearing tested in that ear…
Do you remember the way mammies used to run a string tied through your coat sleeves to stop you losing your gloves….you could do the same!….lol
True , you’d know if it fell out of your ear but it’s where it lands is the problem. . If you’re on a crowded train or walking down a busy street then you can kiss it goodbye because you’d never find it !
Apple have some brass neck in fairness
More expensive in Euros than dollars. Can I get them for the 0.0005% price?
I could give you a pair for a few cents, but then I might be forced to sue you for 180 quid in a few years. Discounts are immoral and damaging to the economy after all.
“You can still get wireless headphones for cheaper but one of the main issues with them is the reliability of Bluetooth which is less than perfect.”
The “Airpods” also use bluetooth so I’d rather pay €40 for a pair that might drop the connection then €179 for a pair that i will lose and still might drop the connection. Also, my €40 pair will also work on ANY device that has bluetooth.
Apple removing the headphone jack has been in the making for 3 years now!
If you’re surprised your not much of an Apple enthusiast …either way, the feel good factor of the Apple brand is well and truly rotten now, no more are they innovating nerdy upstart against IBM and Microsoft.
The ‘Think Different’ slogan has well and truly worn off, now Apple is like every other corporate monster, ruthless in the quest for the bigger bottom line, outsourcing near slave labor conditions that cause suicides at Foxconn in China, or sourcing conflict metals for their phones and now Tim Cook telling bare faced lies to the Irish nation on Irish Radio…”We didn’t receive any sweet heart tax deal from the Irish Govt!”…yet under oath the the US congress he admits Apple did receive such a deal!
He’s a greedy, ruthless corporate megalomaniac devoid of empathy or under standing what damage his tax policies are doing!
I can’t buy any more apple products until they start paying their fair share.
Im a big fan of iphones. And i love the earpods that come with them. But not for one secod would i wear these things. Even if they were free.
They look absolutely ridiculous.
Looks like the Apple 6+ is the last iPhone I will be buying. It’s been a good run though.
I haven’t got mine yet but I’ve already lost them
You do realise the tweet you copied this joke from is right there in the article?
To be fair the phone comes with bundled wired headphones (ear buds) and an adapter for headphone jack plugs too.
A decent pair of Bluetooth headphones are typically in that kind of price range anyway and you don’t need them to use the phone or listen to music on it.
It’s a storm in a teacup, or an earbud or something…
It’s a strange state of affairs when you have to provide an adaptor so that the earphones that you sell with the phone, can be connected to the phone.
No, the wired earphones provided with the phone connect directly to the lightning port. Apple are providing an a separate 3.5mm/lightning adaptor so you can continue to use regular headphones with the new iPhone – which is fair enough if you’ve shelled out for some high end earphones already.
What if I want to listen to my headphones but I need to charge the phone? Which I do most nights in bed. I think I’ll save myself a few bob and stick with the 6 for another while yet.
Not only is this a complete rip off, I can’t wear earbuds. I can wear headphones. I’m not the only one. Apple is ignoring an entire subset of the population.
Apple.
PAY YOUR TAXES.
So will your fancy new air buds get clogged up with ear wax and then you have to poke holes in them like the old ear buds?
Clean your ears before you use them!
Had a sense that Apple may be alienating all but the True Believers with this move and the comments so far seem to reinforce this.
Basically you get something that’s more expensive and easier to lose
The lack of a standard headphone jack would be absolutely 100% enough for me not to buy this I-phone. Wonder how many other people are in the same boat. I’d love this phone to flop because of it.
Seems TJ have been drinking the apple coolaid after last nights announcements
You absolutely cannot beat the Sennheisers. I’ve had mine for three years now paired with an iPhone 4s, quality is as good as the day I bought them and they have never dropped bluetooth connectivity not even once coupled with the fact that they have a range of around 10 meters, great job!
Any chance you could link me to the ones you use please?
Sennheiser MM100
Cheers
for that price must be a insurance option too
Wireless sound quality is generally lower quality and narrower spectrum than wired sound. If Apple can produce superior sound quality to wired sound, it would be an advance.
Functionality over form for me.
Apple products are always over priced…..
Looks like the same hard plastic design as the previous ones which means 10 minutes in my ears and I’m in pain , most uncomfortable earphones ever!!
For that €179, you’d get a very usable smartphone, never mind paying that much for an unnecessary accessory. I’d never tell some how to spend or not spend their money but this really takes the p*ss in my honest opinion.
The margin on these must be truly staggering They reckoned the margin on the iPhone 6 was up to 69%, who knows what it is now, its probably more seeing as the rate of advancements in smartphones seems to be slowing down. The margin on these headphones at €179 must be outrageous and blow that 69% out of the water.
You should get an IQ test if you are ready to spend that amount for the headphones. But then again, the Apple hardliners are worth it ;)
Can’t see why people are complaining . BEATS are dearer and people pay it
I can’t see them being very popular. The Apple logo is far to small for other people to see. No brand cred there…
oneplus 3 feck apple
Sure I’d lose those things in a sec – it’s hard enough holding onto my regular earphones!
Hold on a sec, will other brands of Bluetooth earphones work?? The pods only work with Apple stuff so I wouldn’t be surprised.
That design does not fit my ears and I am sure they won’t fit other peoples ears either?
Is the €179 before or after Tax. Oops, sorry, it’s the same thing.
Power life comes to mind?
Bargain. I’ll take two pairs.
They look more like futuristic crack pipes or some sort of sonic toothbrush head
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