Apple's new EarPods will ship with iPhone 5, new iPods

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
Apple has redesigned the headphones that will ship with its portable devices for greater comfort and sound quality, and the new EarPods will be available with the iPhone 5 and its new iPod lineup, and will also be available for purchase separately.

Apple design chief Jony Ive said his company scanned hundreds of ears searching for commonality between them. The new EarPods are defined by the geometry of a user's ear, but they do not create a seal like other headphones.

Earpods
Apple new Earpods headphones. | Source: Apple


EarPods feature a directed speaker that points forward into a user's ear canal. Another port in the back aids with mid-level tones and maximizes air flow for sound quality.

Apple said it has shipped more than 600 million sets of its previous earbuds to date. The headphones come included with all iPod and iPhone models.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 23
    kolchakkolchak Posts: 1,398member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post



    Apple said it has shipped more than 600 million sets of its previous earbuds to date.


    And about 400 million users detest them.

  • Reply 2 of 23
    Too bad these don't have covers or tips.
  • Reply 3 of 23
    gonna suck
  • Reply 4 of 23



    #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
    I hope they made the cord 6-12" longer, this is one of the things that always pissed me off about the earbuds (other than the crappy performance and ill-fitting earbuds). It's tough to go running when the cord keeps pulling out of my ears when my iPhone is in a belt-pouch.


     
  • Reply 5 of 23


    Originally Posted by akf2000 View Post

    gonna suck


     


    Yeah, that's not trolling at all. Certainly doesn't invalidate everything you say in the future.

  • Reply 6 of 23

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Kolchak View Post


    And about 400 million users detest them.



     


    hey, come on now, this is surely a gross exaggeration


     


    it's more like 6.4 billion non-users detest them due to the infuriating tsst tsst tsst noise bleeding out of them, plus 550 million users who can also hear the tsst tsst tsst of other users bleeding back through them

  • Reply 7 of 23
    tipootipoo Posts: 1,142member


    Apples website says they sound like headphones that cost "hundreds more". Very very skeptical about that claim, but cautiously optimistic. 

  • Reply 8 of 23
    richlrichl Posts: 2,213member


    Early tests from tech sites like Engadget aren't encouraging. They still don't isolate the sound. You'll still hear the latest Justin Bieber song from your neighbour on buses, trains and planes. 

  • Reply 9 of 23
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    Wow no one has gotten their hands on these but already know they're going to suck? What is this Engadget.com?
  • Reply 10 of 23
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    richl wrote: »
    Early tests from tech sites like Engadget aren't encouraging. They still don't isolate the sound. You'll still hear the latest Justin Bieber song from your neighbour on buses, trains and planes. 
    Not good, but I'm skeptical about anything coming from Engadget. Horribly anti apple bias (like you find on most tech sites).
  • Reply 11 of 23
    richlrichl Posts: 2,213member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post



    Wow no one has gotten their hands on these but already know they're going to suck? What is this Engadget.com?


     


    There's a hands-on on Engadget.

  • Reply 12 of 23
    Interesting that the one iPod Shuffle that really needs them, the 3rd Gen with no button whatsoever, is listed as not compatible on the product page.

    see here: http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD827/apple-earpods-with-remote-and-mic
  • Reply 13 of 23
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    richl wrote: »
    There's a hands-on on Engadget.
    I'll wait until more people test them. I don't trust Engadget.
  • Reply 14 of 23


    To all those people saying they will suck:


     


    For crying out loud, they're earbuds that are INCLUDED with your purchase.


     


    They're not $300 headphones, or even $50 headphones for that matter.


     


    If they're better than the previous version, that's a good thing, right? Stop complaining. 

  • Reply 15 of 23

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by freeassociate View Post



    Interesting that the one iPod Shuffle that really needs them, the 3rd Gen with no button whatsoever, is listed as not compatible on the product page.

    see here: http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD827/apple-earpods-with-remote-and-mic


     


    Apple is attempting to wipe that Shuffle from existence.

  • Reply 16 of 23


    Originally Posted by Pendergast View Post

    Apple is attempting to wipe that Shuffle from existence.


     


    I doubt that. If they're willing to keep around the iPod classic, which they updated in no way whatsoever, the iPod shuffle, which they did update, is sticking around.

  • Reply 17 of 23
    kolchakkolchak Posts: 1,398member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Pendergast View Post


     


    They're not $300 headphones, or even $50 headphones for that matter.


     


    If they're better than the previous version, that's a good thing, right? Stop complaining. 



     


    Better than "bad" doesn't make it "good" and that's inexcusable for a company that claims it always strives for the best. And there are earbuds and canalphones that have far better sound quality at around $13 retail. For instance, the JVC Air Cushion series or the MEElectronics M9. Surely if Apple sourced them in bulk, they could get them for $5 or maybe even less. Even Koss' The Plug sounds better, and you can get those for as little as $8. It's not like they don't have a very comfortable profit margin on iPhones and iPods. Having crappy earbuds just reinforces the haters' claims that Apple is all about image over function.

  • Reply 18 of 23
    richlrichl Posts: 2,213member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Pendergast View Post


    If they're better than the previous version, that's a good thing, right? Stop complaining. 



     


    Not if they leak sound just as bad. I always replace mine with something better but I can't trust everyone on my daily commute to do the same.

  • Reply 19 of 23

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Kolchak View Post


    And about 400 million users detest them.



    I don't think there are that many Zune users.


     


    Cheers

  • Reply 20 of 23
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    kolchak wrote: »
    Better than "bad" doesn't make it "good" and that's inexcusable for a company that claims it always strives for the best. And there are earbuds and canalphones that have far better sound quality at around $13 retail. For instance, the JVC Air Cushion series or the MEElectronics M9. Surely if Apple sourced them in bulk, they could get them for $5 or maybe even less. Even Koss' The Plug sounds better, and you can get those for as little as $8. It's not like they don't have a very comfortable profit margin on iPhones and iPods. Having crappy earbuds just reinforces the haters' claims that Apple is all about image over function.
    Oh so you've used these headphones and know they suck more than cheaper ones? Where did you get your hands on a pair?
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