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Gregintosh

macrumors 68000
Jan 29, 2008
1,923
553
Chicago
I already got the real ones but boy am I tempted to try these too. I’d much rather pay $67 a year to replace them after battery starts dying than $200.

Edit: Just got to the part on battery life and 2 hours ain’t enough for a new unit. I guess it’s still worth the money to have the real deal and 5 hours.
 

sunapple

macrumors 68030
Jul 16, 2013
2,833
5,409
The Netherlands
I already got the real ones but boy am I tempted to try these too. I’d much rather pay $67 a year to replace them after battery starts dying than $200.

Edit: Just got to the part on battery life and 2 hours ain’t enough for a new unit. I guess it’s still worth the money to have the real deal and 5 hours.

You don't have to replace AirPods every year for a new battery, as you can get the batteries replaced by Apple.

By the way, not a fan in any way of cheap knock-offs. There's always a catch.
 
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raymanster

macrumors 6502
Feb 13, 2008
357
128
UK
You don't have to replace AirPods every year for a new battery, as you can get the batteries replaced by Apple.

By the way, not a fan in any way of cheap knock-offs. There's always a catch.

Getting the batteries replaced on both airpods and the case works out very close to getting a whole new set. Not much point unless you just use the one airpod a lot more then the other.
 
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sunapple

macrumors 68030
Jul 16, 2013
2,833
5,409
The Netherlands
Getting the batteries replaced on both airpods and the case works out very close to getting a whole new set. Not much point unless you just use the one airpod a lot more then the other.

I figured with a lot of usage, a year of use is pretty bad for the AirPods but okay. The case however, can't imagine that needs replacing too so soon. Did anyone have to replace the case?
 

batman75

macrumors 6502a
Apr 15, 2010
726
175
Isn't it illegal to knowingly buy a product of intellectual property and copyright theft?

To me I wouldn't want to have customs screening this package. Better to buy the real thing. I'm sure the real thing will be discounted soon. There was a promotion yesterday morning where Airpods 2 without wireless charging case was $139.99. Unfortunately I was slow to pull trigger and now they are back to $159.99

UPDATE: I was able to get $100 for my Airpods 1 in an eBay auction so I pulled the trigger and bought the Airpods 2 with wireless charging since it was in stock at the local Apple store. The $125 price difference is a bargain for the upgrade given that I get new batteries and wireless charging.
 
Last edited:

ThugFreak

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 12, 2018
160
49
Getting the batteries replaced on both airpods and the case works out very close to getting a whole new set. Not much point unless you just use the one airpod a lot more then the other.
Deleted
 
Last edited:

Gregintosh

macrumors 68000
Jan 29, 2008
1,923
553
Chicago
You don't have to replace AirPods every year for a new battery, as you can get the batteries replaced by Apple.

By the way, not a fan in any way of cheap knock-offs. There's always a catch.

The question is will apple reliably replace everyone’s AirPods at 11.5 months into the purchase? Or do you have to prove something is wrong with them? Cause at 1 year the battery still is fairly decent its when you start approaching 1.5 years or 2 years it starts to noticeably go down and FAST.

If Apple will replace at 1 year, I guess I should set a calendar appointment now to make sure I can get the AirPods 2 I ordered replaced in time.
 

sunapple

macrumors 68030
Jul 16, 2013
2,833
5,409
The Netherlands
AirPods knock-offs are starting to get real good.
You just need to find the good ones.
Read reviews. watch YouTube, read the comments.
I already own 2 pairs of first generation Apple AirPods.
Last Sunday, I bought some AirPods clones in a Chinese electronics store for $24 + tax.
They are as good as my Apple AirPods.
They look 100% the same.
They battery level screen pops up when I open the charging case.
They sound the same. They come with a lightning cable & silicone case.
The only thing they lack is proximity sensors. The black dots are there but they're painted on.
The microphones sound good. I can use either AirPod by itself.
They do "Hey Siri". They have more features than Apple AirPods with tap control.
You wouldn't be able to tell they are fake unless you see that there is no Apple printing on
the back of the charging case (or notice the painted on proximity sensor dots).
I'm not afraid of losing or breaking these at all. These are basically disposable.
If you buy them wholesale, they cost about $7.
Apple is making tons of profit on AirPods at $159 & $199.

You write your comments like a poem ;)

There are knock-offs for every single product in our lives. You just have to deal with lesser/no service, shipping and quality. People joke that the Apple logo adds so much to the price when in reality, it's mostly the costs of importing/exporting, marketing and whatnot. Like with clothing or off-brand charging cables that come straight from the factory, the difference in price is always huge.

Just don't be amazed when a cheap MacBook charger starts a fire, or if your fake AirPods melt. But it saves you some money, I'll give you that.

Lets do some math...
AirPods cost $159.
Out of warranty fee to change all 3 batteries: $69+$69+$59=$197
What an awesome deal! :eek:

Batteries are $49 + $49 + $49 = $147 actually, but it's expensive for sure (they cannot actually open up those AirPods, they just replace the whole thing which is why it's so expensive).

I can't believe the charging case would need replacement every year though, mine certainly doesn't. My AirPods are still fine as well after 1.5 years (not a heavy user), can't imagine their life span to be shorter than two years. Same can't be said for the knock-offs.

The question is will apple reliably replace everyone’s AirPods at 11.5 months into the purchase? Or do you have to prove something is wrong with them? Cause at 1 year the battery still is fairly decent its when you start approaching 1.5 years or 2 years it starts to noticeably go down and FAST.

If Apple will replace at 1 year, I guess I should set a calendar appointment now to make sure I can get the AirPods 2 I ordered replaced in time.

It doesn't matter when you replace you batteries if it's just for normal wear. With or without warranty, it'll be $49 I believe.
 

Gregintosh

macrumors 68000
Jan 29, 2008
1,923
553
Chicago
It doesn't matter when you replace you batteries if it's just for normal wear. With or without warranty, it'll be $49 I believe.

At 149 to replace the battery case and both AirPods you pretty much pay the same as a new pair, maybe even more if you get a good deal online somewhere on a new set. Now, if it was 49 to replace the set for battery issues TOTAL (not per pod) then I think 80% of people would be quite satisfied, me included.
 

steve knight

macrumors 68030
Jan 28, 2009
2,735
7,180
Lets do some math...
AirPods cost $159.
Out of warranty fee to change all 3 batteries: $69+$69+$59=$197
What an awesome deal! :eek:
I have two pair or had two pair of the AirPods 1's they both got charged twice a day I got two years out of them or so. they got dow not 2 or so hours. thats heavy duty use. the case is going fine it should last a fair amount longer then the airbuds
 
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turbineseaplane

macrumors P6
Mar 19, 2008
17,246
39,728
Am I reading it right...
Only 2.5 hours of music listening on these when brand new?
[doublepost=1558031345][/doublepost]
AirPods knock-offs are starting to get real good.
You just need to find the good ones.
Read reviews. watch YouTube, read the comments.
I already own 2 pairs of first generation Apple AirPods.
Last Sunday, I bought some AirPods clones in a Chinese electronics store for $24 + tax.
They are as good as my Apple AirPods.
They look 100% the same.
They battery level screen pops up when I open the charging case.
They sound the same. They come with a lightning cable & silicone case.
The only thing they lack is proximity sensors. The black dots are there but they're painted on.
The microphones sound good. I can use either AirPod by itself.
They do "Hey Siri". They have more features than Apple AirPods with tap control.
You wouldn't be able to tell they are fake unless you see that there is no Apple printing on
the back of the charging case (or notice the painted on proximity sensor dots).
I'm not afraid of losing or breaking these at all. These are basically disposable.
If you buy them wholesale, they cost about $7.
Apple is making tons of profit on AirPods at $159 & $199.

What about battery life?
Any links to ones you recommend?

thx
 

oneMadRssn

macrumors 603
Sep 8, 2011
6,083
14,193
Isn't it illegal to knowingly buy a product of intellectual property and copyright theft?

Short answer, no it isn't illegal.

Long answer: I take "illegal" to mean "criminal." It is not a crime to purchase stuff that infringes copyright. It is a crime to distribute copyright infringing stuff for a profit, but not to be the casual buyer. And there are no criminal statutes for patent or trademark infringement. Doing those things may lead to civil liability, theoretically, but I don't consider civil liability to mean "illegal" because doing things that risk minor civil liability are a daily occurrence for almost everyone (think about how often you're technically trespassing, but no one cares).

All that said, don't buy that rubbish on Aliexpress. They're almost certainly awful.

Most importantly, it's probably super dangerous. Think about what these are: small lithium batteries inserted into your ears - small amounts of unstable and super flammable material in or very near your ear canal. It can be made safe with good design, good manufacturing practices, and built-in safety systems. But I am sure the knockoffs on Aliexpress have none of that. I've actually seen what happens to someone that has a cheapo Chinese vape-pen lithium battery explode in their mouth while vaping. Think Looney Tunes golfball-sized hole in their front teeth and gums. Super gross. Any lithium batteries going anywhere near my body have to from a reputable company with good engineers, good manufacturing, and proper safety designs.
 
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steve62388

macrumors 68040
Apr 23, 2013
3,100
1,962
They are using a "Airoha 1526P" bluetooth 5.0 processor.
It mimics Apple's proprietary W1 chip & more.

Really though? According to Airoha’s own webpage and their Code of Ethics they are ‘committed to ethical business practices and we take allegations of ethical misconduct in our business dealings seriously’, which includes ‘Misappropriating or stealing equipment or other property’. So either it isn’t a copy of the W1 or their ethics statements are not worth the pixels they’re written on. Somebody is telling porkies.

Source: http://www.airoha.com.tw/webe/html/about/07.aspx
Here's a better "AirPod 2" clone than the one in my original post.
And it's only $27 with free shipping.
It also has the W1 chip pairing functions.
The popup battery level of the charging case is real on this one (with all others, it's a fake 80% all the time).
You can use either AirPod by itself (with all others, you can only use the right side by itself).
The sound quality is better & louder.
The microphones sound great (with others, it's pretty bad).
It doesn't have the Apple printing on the box, charging case & AirPods (that's ok).
You get a silicone case & AirPod leash for free (sport kit).

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/pr...-Charging-Bluetooth-5/932707_33010935890.html

This guy works for the company that makes it.

I'm not affiliated with the seller.

The pairing is a slower and the tap controls fail half the time. And I wouldn’t put much stead in an employee’s opinion that the sound quality is better.

But possibly most importantly as another poster has already pointed out, I wouldn’t be comfortable putting a knock off lithium battery into my ear.
 
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batman75

macrumors 6502a
Apr 15, 2010
726
175
Short answer, no it isn't illegal.

Long answer: I take "illegal" to mean "criminal." It is not a crime to purchase stuff that infringes copyright. It is a crime to distribute copyright infringing stuff for a profit, but not to be the casual buyer. And there are no criminal statutes for patent or trademark infringement. Doing those things may lead to civil liability, theoretically, but I don't consider civil liability to mean "illegal" because doing things that risk minor civil liability are a daily occurrence for almost everyone (think about how often you're technically trespassing, but no one cares).

All that said, don't buy that rubbish on Aliexpress. They're almost certainly awful.

Most importantly, it's probably super dangerous. Think about what these are: small lithium batteries inserted into your ears - small amounts of unstable and super flasmmable material in or very near your ear canal. It can be made safe with good design, good manufacturing practices, and built-in safety systems. But I am sure the knockoffs on Aliexpress have none of that. I've actually seen what happens to someone that has a cheapo Chinese vape-pen lithium battery explode in their mouth while vaping. Think Looney Tunes golfball-sized hole in their front teeth and gums. Super gross. Any lithium batteries going anywhere near my body have to from a reputable company with good engineers, good manufacturing, and proper safety designs.

Some good points. Agree completely.

For personal curiosity though - what are some everyday innocuous examples of trespassing?
 

oneMadRssn

macrumors 603
Sep 8, 2011
6,083
14,193
Some good points. Agree completely.

For personal curiosity though - what are some everyday innocuous examples of trespassing?

- While on walking the sidewalk, and wandering onto someone's lawn to go around a puddle.
- While walking down the street, cutting through a private parking lot to save a minute.
- Parking your car at one store's lot, but going to a different store down the street instead.
- Using a restroom at an establishment that has a "restroom for customers only" sign without buying anything (this one is debatable)
 
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