Apple Announces EarPods Earphones

testcard said:

In-ear headphones have never, ever, worked for me, and the Apple earbuds are the only ones that provided a comfortable fit. So I've ordered a pair of earpods and keeping my fingers (and earlobes) crossed.

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Ditto!

It's either got to be over-the-ear, or buds similar to Apple's standard (or the new EarPods). The in-ear ones simply don't work for me.

I'm waiting for the local Apple Store to get stock on the EarPods so I can get my discount. If I order them online (for delivery), my discount is eaten up by the shipping (and then some).

Mark

I've ordered on the basis that a pair of EarPods have to be cheaper than major cosmetic surgery on my unfeasibly large ear canals

So touch and nano users finally get remote and mic equipped headphones right out of the box...

samcraig said:

So either a lawsuit or payout is coming...

http://cybusindustries.net/about.htm

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Check the website's disclaimer:

"This is not the real Cybus Industries website. In fact, there is no Cybus Industries. This is a fictional website created for the new series of Doctor Who by BBC. We apologise for any inconvenience caused if you thought this was a real website."

samcraig said:

So either a lawsuit or payout is coming...

http://cybusindustries.net/about.htm

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EarPod vs EarPods. It's enough. No payout.

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aismaiil said:

Check the website's disclaimer:

"This is not the real Cybus Industries website. In fact, there is no Cybus Industries. This is a fictional website created for the new series of Doctor Who by BBC. We apologise for any inconvenience caused if you thought this was a real website."

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LOL. That's even better.

Glideslope said:

EarPod vs EarPods. It's enough. No payout.

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LOL. That's even better.

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I don't know why you think it's better.

Someone thought of the name first. Granted - they might not have trademarked it. So if that's the case, Apple is home free. If they did, they could still face litigation or settlement.

samcraig said:

I don't know why you think it's better.

Someone thought of the name first. Granted - they might not have trademarked it. So if that's the case, Apple is home free. If they did, they could still face litigation or settlement.

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I know.

samcraig said:

I don't know why you think it's better.

Someone thought of the name first. Granted - they might not have trademarked it. So if that's the case, Apple is home free. If they did, they could still face litigation or settlement.

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I think you get a trademark based on product recognition and existence. A patent for an original design, and copyright for tangible original work. I don't think you can get a trademark for something imaginary, like babelfish.

samcraig said:

So either a lawsuit or payout is coming...

http://cybusindustries.net/about.htm

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Someone didn't read the disclaimer: http://cybusindustries.net/disclaimer.htm
The site was created for Doctor Who.

Shane2100AD said:

Someone didn't read the disclaimer: http://cybusindustries.net/disclaimer.htm
The site was created for Doctor Who.

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Someone did. See above.

I'm interested to try them out. I just have to see if they fit, are comfortable, and stay in my ears of course.

appleguy123 said:

I might be crazy, because I'm no audiophile, but I've heard of others complaining about Apple cheaping on this port.

Weren't audiophiles using the Zune HD and other expensive, specialized MP3 players with better headphone jacks because Apple's was bad?

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it's not the jack, it's the fact that as a DAC the iPhone isn't the greatest. But it's not awful. It's just that if you want to control your own DAC, you use the digital out on the bottom and plug it into your own DAC.

verniesgarden said:

I just don't really see how one jack can be "bad" over another, considering as long as it makes a connection, theres really no difference in quality, ( in know people will tout gold connectors and such) but if both connectors aren't gold, it doesn't matter.

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You are correct about the jacks. So long as they are both durable, one jack is not going to be any better than another. Especially as far as the sound goes.

However, people were likely commenting on the digital to analogue converters in the iPod, which aren't the nicest.

You are more restrained by the quality of mp3 files than by the DAC quality, so the DAC quality would really only affect users listening to Apple Lossless or full .WAV files. (because then the DAC becomes the limiting quality factor as opposed to the mp3 files)

aurichie said:

I will say the same music files sound better on my Sony Xperia S than my iPhone 4S with the same earphones and headphones. So Apple definitely does appear to be doing something in regards to processing audio less well / more cheaply than competitors.

I'm far from an audiophile, but I can definitely hear the difference in sound quality when playing music back through the two different devices.

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How are you playing the same music files? Are you playing mp3 through the iPhone? I don't think Apple's MP3 decoding sounds that great. I'm currently listening to a well-encoded AAC of Madonna's Frozen[1] on a pair of Sennheiser HD 280 Pro's which I happen to have at work and I'm seeing little sign that my iPhone 4 is not up to the task of articulating the source material. There is a loss of detail which is to be expected with lossy audio, but nothing that stands out as being substantially worse than any other MP3 player i've ever encountered.

IME when most people think one digital device sounds noticeably better than another, they're reacting to differences in listening level, or they have not normalized the EQ on one of the devices.


[1] A solid reference track for misbehaving lossy compression and DACs since it abuses the hell out of the Haas effect.

bassfingers said:

You are correct about the jacks. So long as they are both durable, one jack is not going to be any better than another. Especially as far as the sound goes.

However, people were likely commenting on the digital to analogue converters in the iPod, which aren't the nicest.

You are more restrained by the quality of mp3 files than by the DAC quality, so the DAC quality would really only affect users listening to Apple Lossless or full .WAV files. (because then the DAC becomes the limiting quality factor as opposed to the mp3 files)

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okay, that makes more sense. thank you for the clarification.

That voice!

Screw Siri. I want Jonathan Ive's voice on my iPhone. Also on Audible. </tangent>

This has me pumped! I'd posted on one the too numerous to count iPhone 5 rumors boards that I was hoping they were going to upgrade the headphones. Once the point of having a great Phone, if either A)the headphones are so uncomfortable you can't stand to wear them B)When you do wear them they don't fit right and fall out...

I can't wait till next Friday...

Coachingguy

I picked up a pair yesterday, they do sound really good! They're leagues better than the old earphones. Try them side by side it's a real night and day difference.

FYI, FWIW, what I posted on the other earpod thread:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1439769/
Got them today. On about my second hour of listening to music (Apple Lossless format on an iPod Classic), and spent about half hour on the phone.
One of my big gripes with Apple has been the mediocre earbuds they've been providing in the past, so I had high hopes for an improvement to match the quality of their other products.
My first impression was underwhelming, and outright disappointment.
First, they didn't stay in my ears as well as promised, especially the left one.
I thought I must be a freak, considering the claim of scanning hundreds of ears to develop the fit.
And the sound seemed tinny.
(I had just spent a couple hours before listening on some Phillips earbuds, which, though inexpensive, I am very happy with.)
My impression is getting revised upwards.
They are staying in quite well, even with gentle tugs on the cord.
And the balance of the sound is starting to grow on me. Pretty good bass response (I'm not an audio expert, just know what I like), mids and highs.
I think I will like them even more after more use.
Phone call fine, but that's a no-brainer.
Certainly a major improvement. I can see getting another pair already.
The carry case is appreciated, but a little hard to open.
BTW and FWIW, I wrote this without reading the prior usage reviews.

Mine arrived today and first impressions are positive - improved sound quality over the original earbuds and perfectly adequate for use on a train or a plane. Best of all, they fit perfectly and stay in. The travel case will probably find its way into a drawer, never to be seen again - I would have preferred a small travel pouch. I'm happy.