mac_128

ireland said:

rogifan_new said:

It’s amazing how every time Kuo puts out a note the rumor sites rush to post it and every Apple focused techie rushes to comment on it as if it’s fact. It’s not. He’s just making guesses like everyone else. And it’s hard fornme to take seriously a rumor that says iPad Pro is going USB-C but no other iOS product will. What’s the point? And then everyone who owns an Apple Pencil would need an adapter to charge it with the new iPad? Makes no sense.

They won't need a Lightning porn for Pencil, because apologists will find some argument to make that doesn't hold water about how this somehow this improves Apple pencil: "now you'll care more about every stroke" ;-)

Well I know you're being sarcastic, but why does the Pencil need Lightning? Why not use the Smart Connector and a magnetic attachment. Just snap the Pencil onto the side of the iPad and it charges while being somewhat securely held to the iPad. It could also be used with any inductive charging pads, or even the inductive coils on the iPad or iPhone. 

Apple does intend to eliminate ports completely at some point, so we should get used to thinking about how their existing Lightning connected devices will operate in the absence of Lightning. Take for instance the Apple Mouse, and all the complaints about Lightning port on the bottom, making it unusable when charging. That would change substantially if let's say there were an inductive charging Mouse Pad. 

Apple is moving in the right direction here and USB-C isn't it, though USB-C will likely be necessary for any device which purports to replace a computer, like the iPad Pro.

I doubt the iPad Pro would switch to USB-C and remove the headphone jack. Maybe add a USB-C port for compatibility with computers since Apple is marketing as a computer replacement. But there is no USB-C audio standard yet, and by removing the headphone jack make the iPad Pro incompatible with all other iOS devices for headphones, not to mention accessories like the Pencil, requiring yet more adapters.

GeorgeBMac said:

mac_128 said:

GeorgeBMac said:

Unrelated to their history...

Can AirPods and their smart chip connect to non-Apple Bluetooth devices?
Specifically, my grandson would like to use a pair with his bluetooth X-Box controller so he can hear the game and talk with fellow gamers.  But we don't know if the AirPods would connect and work with it since its not an Apple product?

What does he use now?

I’d also like to know whether the BT X-Box controller uses aptx low latency, or some other low latency protocol to reduce the lag time, both from the controller and then any audio device connected to the controller.

Apple keeps movies in sync by buffering the video in relation to the audio. But that won’t work with video games which need instantaneous sync, nor will it work with third party devices for any AV application. Even Apple will not allow you to use the BT connection with AirPods over the Apple TV for gaming. Since the AirPods don’t use aptx at all, much less low latency, I’d be surprised if the BT connection with the AirPods to the Xbox controller would be acceptable for gameplay sync. That’s your first concern. Pairing is the least of it.

Currently he is using wired headphones that plug into the audio jack of his X-Box controller.   But he has been asking about the AirPods -- which even if it could work would require a controller that enables bluetooth audio.

Thanks for the info!

Right. That’s what I thought. There’s no lag with wired headphones on the BT controller, which then likely uses a low latency connection with the Xbox, relaying both audio and keystrokes in sync within an acceptable wireless time delay. Adding the AirPods, even if the controller allows BT audio sync, would add lag between the controller and the AirPods; and even if it were a low latency connection, would introduce more lag with the audio than is already inherent in the controller/box connection, and out of sync with the keystrokes. Given that the AirPods aren’t low latency, this would probably be intolerable. 

GeorgeBMac said:

Unrelated to their history...

Can AirPods and their smart chip connect to non-Apple Bluetooth devices?
Specifically, my grandson would like to use a pair with his bluetooth X-Box controller so he can hear the game and talk with fellow gamers.  But we don't know if the AirPods would connect and work with it since its not an Apple product?

What does he use now?

I’d also like to know whether the BT X-Box controller uses aptx low latency, or some other low latency protocol to reduce the lag time, both from the controller and then any audio device connected to the controller.

Apple keeps movies in sync by buffering the video in relation to the audio. But that won’t work with video games which need instantaneous sync, nor will it work with third party devices for any AV application. Even Apple will not allow you to use the BT connection with AirPods over the Apple TV for gaming. Since the AirPods don’t use aptx at all, much less low latency, I’d be surprised if the BT connection with the AirPods to the Xbox controller would be acceptable for gameplay sync. That’s your first concern. Pairing is the least of it.

emoeller said:

I would expect Bluetooth 5 to be implemented (Apple introduced BT 5 when it released HomePod in Feb).   This will help with latency issues and provide much better communications between devices.  To me this would be a huge improvement.

Yes, and while not specifically an AirPod complaint, the ability to pair multiple AirPods to the same device so that two or more people can share the same source at the same time with their wireless earbuds, and not have to pull out any adapters, or wired headphones to do it. 

soundsinamotion said:

I think the airpods look ugly hanging out of people’s ears, not a great looking design. Would be awesome if they designed them a bit more inconspicuously. 

This is a matter of subjective opinion. For my money I think they look terrible on some people, and fantastic on others. But that's just like anything, and the reason why "wearables" is such a difficult category to get right. This is the main reason I expect to see a round Apple Watch added to the collection eventually, and if Apple gets into the VR glasses game, more than just a square pair of lenses. However rational or irrational, people don't like to look like each other at a certain point, and one-size has never fit-all when it comes to things people wear. YMMV 

As for more inconspicuous design, that's a different subject. I suspect adding black, or other colors would help with that issue, vs. a complete redesign. That said, I'm sure Apple is working toward the HER movie depiction, of a simple device that's inserted into the ear. But let's have the features right first.