NYC subway commuters get creative rescuing AirPods dropped on tracks
Apple's AirPods may be highly popular, but the ease of losing them while being jostled or in a hurry is causing trouble for some New York City subway riders, leading to some desperate rescues.
Apple's AirPods are attractive to use, with the wireless earwear bought due to a lack of extra wiring connecting the two sections together, a common trait of Bluetooth earphones. The ease of use of simply placing them in the ear is handy, but also a potential problem due to how the earphones can be dislodged and possibly end up in unwanted out-of-reach locations.
Apple has already come up with a solution, with the Powerbeats Pro offering the same feature set but with a more secure fit, using ear hooks that keep them in place while the user is working out or performing physical activities.
For those with AirPods, the precarious placement can be a problem, the Wall Street Journal reports, with users having to come up with their own ways to rescue the accessories when they fall into cracks and holes in such a way that reaching with extended fingers won't work. In such cases, their owners have to come up with some ingenious solutions.
For one AirPod lost in a Brooklyn sidewalk grate, a broom and duct tape was used to pull the accessory from the hole, while another fished for theirs in a similar predicament using dental floss and an e-cig charger housing a magnet.
"I felt like I don't deserve them," said rescuer Terri Gerstein. "I'm not careful enough. I don't deserve something so nice."
The pressure to get back AirPods is also felt by transit service employees, including the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York City. MTA maintenance supervisor Steven Dluginski advised of a March rise in requests to the 25 workers checking subway tracks for lost objects following the launch of the second-generation model (see our second-gen AirPods Review), as well as heat and humidity on platforms making it easier for AirPods to slip from ears over the summer.
Recently, one day saw requests to retrieve 18 items, with six being AirPods. "They're tiny, they're really hard to find," told Dluginski. "The only saving grace is that they're white."
MTA workers also have a small advantage over civilian improvisational solutions. While there has been the use of a broom pole and duct tape by some riders, workers can use a long pole with soft grippers on the end to grab and extract the AirPods, without using adhesive.
The problem of lost AirPods, as well as the potential dangers of passengers climbing onto the tracks in search of them, has led to the MTA to consider a new public service announcement telling commuters to avoid putting on or removing AirPods while entering or exiting a station.
Transit-based issues for AirPods are not limited to land, with the story of one passenger on a Delta flight resulting in seven cleaning employees and crew working to pull a dropped AirPod from under a seat cushion.
The relative ease of losing the AirPods isn't lost on Loup Ventures analyst Gene Munster, who predicts 50 million AirPods will be sold in 2019 alone, up from 28 million in 2018. Munster bases the claim of lost devices being a key sales driver on his own fortunes with the accessories, having already gone through 10 pairs and admitting "I've already lost the charging case" for his latest purchase.
Regardless of the impact of lost AirPods, Apple is enjoying high sales in its Wearables, Home and Accessories segment, with its most recent quarterly results revealing over $5.5 billion in revenue. Within that sector, it is believed the Apple Watch and AirPods are the biggest contributors.
Apple's AirPods are attractive to use, with the wireless earwear bought due to a lack of extra wiring connecting the two sections together, a common trait of Bluetooth earphones. The ease of use of simply placing them in the ear is handy, but also a potential problem due to how the earphones can be dislodged and possibly end up in unwanted out-of-reach locations.
Apple has already come up with a solution, with the Powerbeats Pro offering the same feature set but with a more secure fit, using ear hooks that keep them in place while the user is working out or performing physical activities.
For those with AirPods, the precarious placement can be a problem, the Wall Street Journal reports, with users having to come up with their own ways to rescue the accessories when they fall into cracks and holes in such a way that reaching with extended fingers won't work. In such cases, their owners have to come up with some ingenious solutions.
For one AirPod lost in a Brooklyn sidewalk grate, a broom and duct tape was used to pull the accessory from the hole, while another fished for theirs in a similar predicament using dental floss and an e-cig charger housing a magnet.
"I felt like I don't deserve them," said rescuer Terri Gerstein. "I'm not careful enough. I don't deserve something so nice."
The pressure to get back AirPods is also felt by transit service employees, including the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York City. MTA maintenance supervisor Steven Dluginski advised of a March rise in requests to the 25 workers checking subway tracks for lost objects following the launch of the second-generation model (see our second-gen AirPods Review), as well as heat and humidity on platforms making it easier for AirPods to slip from ears over the summer.
Recently, one day saw requests to retrieve 18 items, with six being AirPods. "They're tiny, they're really hard to find," told Dluginski. "The only saving grace is that they're white."
MTA workers also have a small advantage over civilian improvisational solutions. While there has been the use of a broom pole and duct tape by some riders, workers can use a long pole with soft grippers on the end to grab and extract the AirPods, without using adhesive.
The problem of lost AirPods, as well as the potential dangers of passengers climbing onto the tracks in search of them, has led to the MTA to consider a new public service announcement telling commuters to avoid putting on or removing AirPods while entering or exiting a station.
Transit-based issues for AirPods are not limited to land, with the story of one passenger on a Delta flight resulting in seven cleaning employees and crew working to pull a dropped AirPod from under a seat cushion.
The relative ease of losing the AirPods isn't lost on Loup Ventures analyst Gene Munster, who predicts 50 million AirPods will be sold in 2019 alone, up from 28 million in 2018. Munster bases the claim of lost devices being a key sales driver on his own fortunes with the accessories, having already gone through 10 pairs and admitting "I've already lost the charging case" for his latest purchase.
Regardless of the impact of lost AirPods, Apple is enjoying high sales in its Wearables, Home and Accessories segment, with its most recent quarterly results revealing over $5.5 billion in revenue. Within that sector, it is believed the Apple Watch and AirPods are the biggest contributors.
Comments
On topic: If Munster has lost 10 pair and a charging case, the issue is Munster more so than the AirPod. He needs to invest in those cheap straps.
Take this article for instance. There's nothing in it disparaging Apple or the AirPods. It's simple a collection of anecdotal tidbits about the tribulations of using AirPods in the crowded NYC subway system with a bonus splash of Gene Munster weirdness. Nothing connected to this article even suggests a failure by Apple. Yet you've found a way to make the claim. Why? And yes, I am saying Apple is not the target of unceasing malicious persecution. That's nothing more that excessive hyperbole. Are there articles written that are negative about Apple? Yeah sure there are. Criticize them until the cows come home. But grinding every thread with the somebody's picking on Apple meme... that's an lkrupp thing, not an Apple thing. Even in comments where you're trying to compliment Apple you can't seem to stop yourself from taking a dig at some perceived slight from some imaginary foe. By all means, you do you. Just sayin', some new material every now and then would be really appreciated.
Munster doesn't deserve to have anything nice. Is he dropping the 'Pods while handling them or are his ears not compatible enough for them.
I wanted AirPod from the jump after years of cords dragging and snagging on clothing and nearby objects. But I was unprepared as to how freeing having no cord whatsoever would be.
When in high noise environments, I have to wear some semi-wireless 'buds that seal better, and even then I lose some audio unless it's turned up louder than is wise. The wire between the 'buds is really annoying. If I'd never used the AirPods, it would be taken in stride.
Honestly, most threads here are *NOT* trolled nowadays, or maybe the mods are deleting the troll posts so fast I don't see them. But almost every thread here that discusses even the mildest potential problem with Apple still gets two or three pre-defenses of Apple, before anybody even says anything negative.
Think of it like the fast food market. Whether you like McDonald's or not, they're the market leader. They *NEVER* talk about the competition. Burger King, by contrast, constantly talks about how great their products are...compared to McDonald's! It just makes it look like they have some kind of inferiority complex.
Apple's leadership is confident that they have the best products, and that they don't need to rise to every insult from fans of other companies' goods. You, lkrupp, and others who rise to the imagined bait on every thread, ought to exhibit the same confidence. It's a better look.
I’ve been reading AI everyday for over 10 years - articles and forums, and I have to say Lkrupp is easily my favourite poster and is one of the reasons I enjoy reading the forums, often with a smile on my face. There is no way he deserves the previous comments in this thread. Lkrupp’s comments are valid and you have to understand AI reports on every Apple related article that has gained traction around the tech and mainstream media world - these frequently include a slice of anti-apple bias. This article begins with transit service employees and the WSJ explaining AirPods are falling out in droves and then ends with an analyst predicting increased sales because of the fact… his {lighthearted} evidence…he’s lost 10 pairs and a charging case! Lkrupp has a right to point out that a report gaining traction is showing how ‘bad’ the design of AirPods is. Others might take it as AirPods are winning. I reckon Lkrupp is mentalising the average Joe and Jill reading on their news feed contemplating a wireless bud purchase.