You don't see any merit to beam-forming microphones for noise cancellation, seamless paring experience, Siri access, other-earphone awareness, or lack of tangled wires?
You don't remember how iconic the white earbuds have been as a status symbol?
It's fine, and even expected, to say, "This product doesn't fit my use-case." But to be unable to fathom why any person on the earth would want to buy the product... that takes a total disconnection from headphones as a category of device, and I'm not willing to believe that's true.
> You don't see any merit to beam-forming microphones for noise cancellation, seamless paring experience, Siri access, other-earphone awareness, or lack of tangled wires
I honestly cannot. They're impressive solutions to problems Apple have created for themselves.
Personally, I don't use the built-in microphones in headphones. If I'm speaking to someone, I either hold the phone to my ear, or use speaker phone.
Taking two seconds to plug my wired headphones into my device is a pretty "seamless pairing experience", and I can use them with whatever device I please, unlike the AirPods.
My wired headphones don't need to be "aware" of each other, because they are connected to each other.
I spend about ten seconds each day ensuring my headphone cable isn't tangled.
> You don't remember how iconic the white earbuds have been as a status symbol?
Where I'm from, white earbuds have only ever been: a) an invitation to thieves looking to steal the device they're connected to; b) a sign that someone doesn't care about audio quality.
> [...] that takes a total disconnection from headphones as a category of device, and I'm not willing to believe that's true.
On the contrary, I think the problem is that I would actually consider a headphone purchase, rather than blindly buying something like the AirPods.
My biggest complaints is that they are in-ear. I really wonder how they will stay in place outside of a desk chair or a couch. At least with a cable you had a chance to catch it when it fell. An ear-clip version would be great.
9 times out of 10, "I can't fathom why anyone would want product X" can be swapped with "I don't want product X."
It's often used due to mental laziness or lack of empathy. I personally don't want a pair either, but I can certainly imagine why it appeals to people.
Would you mind elaborating the flaws you see in them? Curious to see other point of views.
Personally, I am more of an in-ear earphones user, so I am more drawn to e.g. Bragi earphones, but even then I am missing the option of custom in-ear moulds, so I am sticking with shure audio drivers + Westone bluetooth cable. I do welcome Apple entrance because I could see how they might be able to push development of the sector and some advances.
For me it's simple: I wear earphones a lot, I'm sick of dangling wires, and I find earpods comfortable (I don't like the style of Bluetooth earbuds that wedge in tight). And because I'll use them 90% for spoken word content, the audio quality is acceptable.
The only thing I don't like is the loss of volume and track controls. I'm hoping a software update will eventually address that.
The designers didn't design one set of headphones and say "we're done, sell it Phil". They designed a bunch of models and then they iterated on the best received of those until they had something better than the competition.
If you can't fathom why anyone would want them how do you explain the consistently positive reviews?
intopieces|9 years ago
You don't remember how iconic the white earbuds have been as a status symbol?
It's fine, and even expected, to say, "This product doesn't fit my use-case." But to be unable to fathom why any person on the earth would want to buy the product... that takes a total disconnection from headphones as a category of device, and I'm not willing to believe that's true.
UVB-76|9 years ago
I honestly cannot. They're impressive solutions to problems Apple have created for themselves.
Personally, I don't use the built-in microphones in headphones. If I'm speaking to someone, I either hold the phone to my ear, or use speaker phone.
Taking two seconds to plug my wired headphones into my device is a pretty "seamless pairing experience", and I can use them with whatever device I please, unlike the AirPods.
My wired headphones don't need to be "aware" of each other, because they are connected to each other.
I spend about ten seconds each day ensuring my headphone cable isn't tangled.
> You don't remember how iconic the white earbuds have been as a status symbol?
Where I'm from, white earbuds have only ever been: a) an invitation to thieves looking to steal the device they're connected to; b) a sign that someone doesn't care about audio quality.
> [...] that takes a total disconnection from headphones as a category of device, and I'm not willing to believe that's true.
On the contrary, I think the problem is that I would actually consider a headphone purchase, rather than blindly buying something like the AirPods.
agumonkey|9 years ago
fiatpandas|9 years ago
It's often used due to mental laziness or lack of empathy. I personally don't want a pair either, but I can certainly imagine why it appeals to people.
UVB-76|9 years ago
I've racked my brains and I simply cannot understand why anyone would prefer these to existing wired or wireless headphones.
tarikjn|9 years ago
Personally, I am more of an in-ear earphones user, so I am more drawn to e.g. Bragi earphones, but even then I am missing the option of custom in-ear moulds, so I am sticking with shure audio drivers + Westone bluetooth cable. I do welcome Apple entrance because I could see how they might be able to push development of the sector and some advances.
UVB-76|9 years ago
Compared to the Klipsch earphones, the AirPods:
1) Are more than twice as expensive ($159 vs. $69)
2) Have significantly worse sound quality
3) Look ugly as sin; wired earphones like the Klipsch ones look just fine, and come in colors other than white
4) Require regular charging (only 5 hours of listening time); wired earphones require no charging at all
5) Are considerably easier to lose or misplace (either one or both)
6) Will have a finite life, as the battery wears out; standard wired earphones will last forever if you look after them
7) Are only compatible with current generation Apple devices; standard wired earphones have universal compatibility
8) Will likely be depreciated within a couple of generations of Apple products; wired earphones will endure
[1] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00264GYMG/
lukifer|9 years ago
The only thing I don't like is the loss of volume and track controls. I'm hoping a software update will eventually address that.
Steko|9 years ago
If you can't fathom why anyone would want them how do you explain the consistently positive reviews?