Of the tens of thousands of dollars (literally - yikes!) I've "donated" to Apple over the last decade for computers, tablets, phones, routers, and other devices and accessories, I rank the AirPods as the most useful and appreciated purchase yet. I can't express how pleased I am with them. It was tough to spend $160 for a few pieces of plastic, but I now wonder how I ever lived without them. I can never go back to wires (either ear-to-device or ear-to-ear).
yeh, my faourite purchase since the iPhone. I got it for the microphone as much as the earphones and that is quite simply amazing. I can walk around and hold conversations at a low voice, no shouting into the phone anymore, and it does cancel other noises too. Really good.
Yet another obvious disconnect between what is said in comment sections about Apple products and what real users want and do in the real world. AirPods continue be maligned and denigrated by denizens of tech forums like AI, MacRumors, 9to5Mac, and others. But in the real world they are a hit. I watched this week’s Mac Break Weekly and it contained a segment about the MacBook Pro. After Leo La Porte, Andy Ihnatko, and Rene Ritchie (to a smaller extent) got through trashing and tearing the MacBook Pro limb from limb, from keyboard to Touch Bar, Leo La Porte heaved a big sigh, lowered his head and said, “But they’re selling really well. A lot of people are buying them.”
So it’s always the same meme from the so-called techie crowd. People who buy Apple products are stupid and that’s really the only explanation that crowd has for why something like the AirPods have succeeded in the market place.
Like the American justice system, MacBreak Weekly is the worst Apple podcast, except for all the others. Leo can best be described as a former Apple user. He’s only on the ‘cast because he owns it. I liked Andy better when he was an Apple fan. Now he is an Android user whose only remaining Apple device is an iPad, but as soon as Android comes up with one that’s less than horrible he’ll jump to that too. By and large he’s fair, but he spends most of his time offering counters to anything positive about Apple. The resident Android apologist. Were it not for René and Alex, this podcast would be better titled “People Who Don’t Use Apple Products Discuss Them.” Here’s a suggestion, TWIT. Lose Leo, bring Andy on as a special guest once in a while, and let Alex and René run the show along with some new Apple specialist.
I definitely would have purchased these by now, but I'm looking for two things that are currently not available, which hopefully will happen in 2018. 1) I would like a better way for volume control to work and 2) Black color please.
Yet another obvious disconnect between what is said in comment sections about Apple products and what real users want and do in the real world. AirPods continue be maligned and denigrated by denizens of tech forums like AI, MacRumors, 9to5Mac, and others. But in the real world they are a hit. I watched this week’s Mac Break Weekly and it contained a segment about the MacBook Pro. After Leo La Porte, Andy Ihnatko, and Rene Ritchie (to a smaller extent) got through trashing and tearing the MacBook Pro limb from limb, from keyboard to Touch Bar, Leo La Porte heaved a big sigh, lowered his head and said, “But they’re selling really well. A lot of people are buying them.”
So it’s always the same meme from the so-called techie crowd. People who buy Apple products are stupid and that’s really the only explanation that crowd has for why something like the AirPods have succeeded in the market place.
This despite the media’s insistence that Apple is befallen within disaster after disaster. Makes one scratch their head, doesn’t it?
I call it Marco Arment's Techie Echo Chamber of Doom, Worry, and Concern (tm).
I mean seriously, if the company was in the shape that IT pundits keep saying it’s in, they would have gone bust five years ago, and the directors would be in jail.
As its always been, even when Steve or anyone else was running Apple, they aren't going to make everyone happy 100% of the time. I think it was even Steve who said "You can make some of the people happy, some of the time, but you cannot make some of the people happy, all the time" (I'm paraphrasing there). When you have the amount of customers Apple does, it doesn't matter what you release, you're always going to make some happy and some unhappy. And, some may leave the platform as a result, but I have a feeling that Apple is also introducing a lot of new people to the platform. When more start leaving than entering, then you may have a leg to stand on, but until then, you really don't have an argument. You can not like what Apple is doing, but that doesn't mean you have a valid argument.
From what I can see it’s the ultra-conservative Mac traditionalists who scream the most. They want to turn back the clock to headless towers with slots and ports out the wazoo. Most legacy ports aren’t fast enough these days for modern operating systems and applications. The longer you keep a piece of hardware the slower it will get because it doesn’t have the horsepower to run the newer software. So your are left with the choice of arbitrarily freezing your software at a certain point in time or buying new hardware. The tinkerers will bleat that open, upgradeable hardware architecture means you can stay current but that’s mostly a myth. You can’t overcome things like bus speeds, caches, the basic design of now obsolete motherboards and SOCs.
True and I think a lot also forget that you can sell your Mac and you will get a good amount of money for it. So its not like you're constantly spending $4,000 on a Mac or whatever. If you spend $4,000 on a Mac and use it for 3yrs or so you'll get at least 50-70% back out of it or better depending on condition and specs. In the end, only your initial investment should be expensive.
I keep saying this to my (cheap) Android using friends, and also the self build fanatics. Their stuff becomes worthless after its used.
(although I have a friend who says he can sell self builds but I cant imagine why anybody would buy one).
I'm approaching middle age and the need for a "get off my lawn" sign, but I'm an entrenched Apple ecosystem user because things just work. I don't have to worry about standing on one leg and holding my tongue just right and hope that whatever awesome tech junk I bought will work that day. Apple makes things simple and makes their stuff work well together. That said, I have yet to purchase Air Pods. I have had them in my cart many times ready to pull the trigger but then I pause because these were released in 2016. We are coming up on 2018, so shouldn't there be some sort of refresh coming out? Not sure what that is aside from a different case (separate purchase anyhow, I know) but I'm nervous about spending the 2018 price on 2016 tech and then right after they come out with something that has a slight change...but in Apple I trust to change when needed and not "because".
So here I sit, waiting still. I'm sure someone reading this knows there is no refresh or upgrade coming and if that's the case I'd be happy to know.
Here's my advice: if you're married, ask your spouse for a pair for Christmas (or your next gift-exchange opportunity). She/he will be happy to have something to get you; you will get a present you love; and you won't worry about whether you should have waited--because you didn't buy it! I'm 100% serious. Just do it; you'll be glad you did.
I've come full circle on these. I thought they were absurd when they were released. Now I'd like to own a pair. But I can't buy them until the case will allow me to put third party (or Apple?) silicone sleeves on the AirPods. It's the only way they will fit and stay in my ears. Please Apple. Just add a couple of millimeters of top end clearance in the case and I'll buy.
I'm approaching middle age and the need for a "get off my lawn" sign, but I'm an entrenched Apple ecosystem user because things just work. I don't have to worry about standing on one leg and holding my tongue just right and hope that whatever awesome tech junk I bought will work that day. Apple makes things simple and makes their stuff work well together. That said, I have yet to purchase Air Pods. I have had them in my cart many times ready to pull the trigger but then I pause because these were released in 2016. We are coming up on 2018, so shouldn't there be some sort of refresh coming out? Not sure what that is aside from a different case (separate purchase anyhow, I know) but I'm nervous about spending the 2018 price on 2016 tech and then right after they come out with something that has a slight change...but in Apple I trust to change when needed and not "because".
So here I sit, waiting still. I'm sure someone reading this knows there is no refresh or upgrade coming and if that's the case I'd be happy to know.
Here's my advice: if you're married, ask your spouse for a pair for Christmas (or your next gift-exchange opportunity). She/he will be happy to have something to get you; you will get a present you love; and you won't worry about whether you should have waited--because you didn't buy it! I'm 100% serious. Just do it; you'll be glad you did.
haha, that's exactly what I did. then black friday/monday rolled around and she bought "us" a new Dyson v8 as a gift for us both. DOH. I figured it's too close to xmas to buy for myself, i could see her still getting them for me since I told her over a month ago that was what I wanted
I've come full circle on these. I thought they were absurd when they were released. Now I'd like to own a pair. But I can't buy them until the case will allow me to put third party (or Apple?) silicone sleeves on the AirPods. It's the only way they will fit and stay in my ears. Please Apple. Just add a couple of millimeters of top end clearance in the case and I'll buy.
I'm in the same boat. My ears are a bit on the large side and Earpods and Airpods both constantly feel like they are falling out. The Jaybird Runs fit in like they are glued, but I didn't like the sound without an extensive amount of tweaking. I ended up coughing up the cash for the Bose Soundsport Frees. They stay in and sound fantastic. They also have on bud volume controls.
I tried Airpods....I wanted to like them..I really did...they just didn't fit well enough to keep them. I bought the Insignia silicone fins and thought I was on to something until I realized they wouldn't fit into the case with the fins on.
I definitely would have purchased these by now, but I'm looking for two things that are currently not available, which hopefully will happen in 2018. 1) I would like a better way for volume control to work and 2) Black color please.
1) I would like a better way for volume control to work…if you have an Apple Watch then it’s on your wrist, easy.
Agreed...it's one of the most 'Apple-like' products released in the last few years. The AirPods/AppleWatch/AppleMusic combo is the replacement for the iPod!
Comments
Christ. Thats $200 you want for free.
*Of course all the flesh colours (I say mult-culturally).
Let me help you: more than four.
https://blackpods.store/
Since October 2001, all Apple earphones have been white. I don't see that changing.
http://www.businessinsider.com/why-are-apple-headphones-white-2016-5
I keep saying this to my (cheap) Android using friends, and also the self build fanatics. Their stuff becomes worthless after its used.
(although I have a friend who says he can sell self builds but I cant imagine why anybody would buy one).
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/joke
I tried Airpods....I wanted to like them..I really did...they just didn't fit well enough to keep them. I bought the Insignia silicone fins and thought I was on to something until I realized they wouldn't fit into the case with the fins on.
Sounds like $4B in revenue to me.
I love my set...can't wait for Apple's PowerPad.