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The only point you've made is that you're a heavy user of AirPods. Well, okay. Battery charge capacity decreases with use, especially heavy use. This is not some new revelation.

The question is, should Apple make the AirPods batteries replaceable? The form factor makes it a bit difficult. I suppose they could design them where the tube portion can be unscrewed from the earbud portion.

Well yes I think it’s very doable considering the battery is already hanging off the stem. Making it detachable with screw mechanism (much like the Apple Pencil tip) could help with Airpods lifetime.

But I suppose Apple wants you to buy a new one instead of doing mother earth a favor by helping customers making their gadgets usable longer.
 
In 5 years whales and dolphins will be swollowing these AirPods. “10 AirPods found in whales stomach.”

The battery on these things die in about 1.5-2 yr. my day one purchased stopped charge began to last for 30 mins. It sucks they can’t be pried open and the small battery can be replaced because they just end up being trashed.


You've been misinformed. They can be replaced and Apple is glad to do it for you. When the day comes you want to dispose of them, Apple will take them back at no charge to you and recycle them. They will never end up in the trash unless you put them there.
 
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You've been misinformed. They can be replaced and Apple is glad to do it for you. When the day comes you want to dispose of them, Apple will take them back at no charge to you and recycle them. They will never end up in the trash unless you put them there.[/QUO

Misinform my *ss. How many people own these AirPods, what’s the percentage where they will actually be recycled? If they likely sold 500 million I doubt the number will be higher than 50% if that. For example that means 250 million will be out in the environment. Some will live in a closet or drawer in decades but how many will end up in the trash or end up a sea.

Look at prescription medication. You can recycle these safely and dispose of them but how many pills are still flushed in the toilet and end up at sea.

In Cali it’s easy to recycle products but other parts of the country... much more challenging. What do you do if there are no apple store. How easy can this problem be solved by having a means to change the battery.

The iPhone battery repair program showed there is a need/desire for people to not brainlessly upgrade their phone each year. Why not have that option for AirPods. Samsung buds are able to. Apple in all their wisdom can design and manufacture this practice but they CHOOSE not to. They’d rather have you buy another pair.

That’s why I really roll my eyes when apple touts their “green initiate” because it’s so self serving and mindless drones who eat this up believe it and say, “oh they can recycle them for you at no charge”
 
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Only worthwhile if it is your first pair of AirPods. If you have the first gen, better to wait for the updated version in the fall. I was pretty disappointed with these and returned.

I really do not think we'll see updated AirPods this fall. I think the rumors confused the new PowerBeats Pro for AirPods (water/sweat resistance, matte black color option, price "remaining at" $199). I would bet that AirPods are on a 2-year cycle, and we'll see AirPods 3 announced in the fall of 2020.
 
Well yes I think it’s very doable considering the battery is already hanging off the stem. Making it detachable with screw mechanism (much like the Apple Pencil tip) could help with Airpods lifetime.

But I suppose Apple wants you to buy a new one instead of doing mother earth a favor by helping customers making their gadgets usable longer.
Yup and they can say we are the greenest company. Meanwhile they engendered this disposable culture of use.
 
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How can you expect gadgets these days to be easily repairable when we know they have a short shelf life and are increasingly being made to repel water?!!
 
I really do not think we'll see updated AirPods this fall. I think the rumors confused the new PowerBeats Pro for AirPods (water/sweat resistance, matte black color option, price "remaining at" $199). I would bet that AirPods are on a 2-year cycle, and we'll see AirPods 3 announced in the fall of 2020.

It's certainly possible. I have heard rumors otherwise, specifically about new AirPods, but we'll see. Since the recently updated ones didn't really improve on anything, I don't know if consumers look at them as the next gen version really.
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Unless your first-gen AirPods only give you 32 minutes (yes, literally) of battery life on a full charge.

That's a bummer. I have my launch day ones and still get through a 3 hour plane ride no problem, with some juice to spare. I have used mine daily just for workouts though, not any extended listening. If you need better battery life, sure they are a good option. Just not better than a brand new pair of first gen AirPods.
 
It's apparent you don't own a 2-year old first gen AirPods as I do, I have a disposable product in front of me with depleted batteries that I wish I could easily swap them out and continue using them instead of throwing them in the trash.

All that amazing tech, H1, bluetooth 5, inductive case etc, all of that in the trash in 2 years because you can't replace batteries. And no, Apple's battery service costs almost the same as buying them new.

Yes, I agree 2 years isn’t exactly a good lifespan. Here’s an idea. Most people will likely to keep AirPods charged by keeping them in the case. Why wouldn’t they, right? A $159 pair of true-wireless earbuds that’s so small and could be gone anytime? It’s perfectly normal.

What most people didn’t think though, by keeping the buds inside the case, their battery is forced to be at 100% most of the time. Of course normal users also want to keep the case charged from time to time, because they want to keep using their AirPods. But having the buds’ battery cycled that often isn’t exactly helping.

It’s very much different with “normal” wireless earbuds like Jaybirds, JBL, or Beats X. The whole earbuds only has one battery, and you only charge it when it’s low, not whenever you put em inside the case.

I think this “case charging” habit is very brutal towards AirPods’ battery lifespan. I have a BeatsX for almost 3 years and honestly the battery feels like new, because I only charge it maybe once a week. When I put it off, it wouldn’t charge.

I read somewhere it’s best to keep your battery at half capacity if you’re going to put it off for some time. This can’t be done with AirPods, they’re always at 100% when inside the case, unless the case runs out of battery.
 
It's apparent you don't own a 2-year old first gen AirPods as I do, I have a disposable product in front of me with depleted batteries that I wish I could easily swap them out and continue using them instead of throwing them in the trash.

All that amazing tech, H1, bluetooth 5, inductive case etc, all of that in the trash in 2 years because you can't replace batteries. And no, Apple's battery service costs almost the same as buying them new.


Just as an aside...Please don't throw them in the trash. The materials can be recycled, at least.
 
I'm not designing or engineering AirPods. But, those photos blow me away. I had no idea the inside was so complex. That is pretty crazy!

As far as repairability, I think we have to use a bit of common sense here. Should AirPods have a hinge that opens each one, so that batteries, or other repairs could be made, and the headphones returned to the user? I think the idea of repairability on AirPods is getting picky and out-of-touch.

I've had my AirPods for a little over a year, and yes, they do beep that the battery is low earlier than I would expect. I could see how replacing the battery could be a positive step in making them last much longer for users. But, I wouldn't want that option, in return for reduced durability.

However, repairing an iMac or MacBook should be much more built-in and accessible. The entire screen of an iMac shouldn't have to be delicately removed to make basic upgrades and easy fixes.
 
That's a bummer. I have my launch day ones and still get through a 3 hour plane ride no problem, with some juice to spare. I have used mine daily just for workouts though, not any extended listening. If you need better battery life, sure they are a good option. Just not better than a brand new pair of first gen AirPods.


Apple has already said 2nd gen gets better talk time battery life vs. a new pair of 1st gen.
 
Apple has already said 2nd gen gets better talk time battery life vs. a new pair of 1st gen.

Yup, it gets an extra hour of talk time. If that is make or break for someone, sure I guess go ahead and upgrade. I would guess for many, it's not an addition that is really moving the needle.
 
While I love my AirPods - they're a marvel of engineering and design - when I came to the realisation that they are disposable electronics with no hope of repair, I decided I won't be buying another set when the battery dies.

It's the opposite of environmentally responsible. Something that Apple frequently calls themselves. I find it hypocritical.
 
While I love my AirPods - they're a marvel of engineering and design - when I came to the realisation that they are disposable electronics with no hope of repair, I decided I won't be buying another set when the battery dies.

It's the opposite of environmentally responsible. Something that Apple frequently calls themselves. I find it hypocritical.

That is indeed a bummer. But the design is flawed from the beginning. It forces the buds to stay charged at 100% if it’s inside the case, even if you’re not going to use it for a long time.

You keep the case charged, and the buds will always be 100%. That’s very destructive, especially to a teeny tiny battery inside the buds (not the case)

I think Apple should provide it with a toggle (hardware or software tweaks) to control the auto charge feature.

I would suggest to keep the buds off the case if you’re going to leave it off for some time. I think it would let the buds’ battery to rest and less stressed, hopefully would give you a longer lifespan.
 
What's the difference between an individual AirPod and a cordless drill battery? My cordless drill takes a li-ion battery stick, which is itself enclosed in a sealed, rugged ABS plastic case for safety and durability. The case also contains a thermal sensor, on-board processor chip, fuse, status LEDs, and electrical contacts. AirPod: add to that a relatively inexpensive earbud driver, microphone, and an IR sensor. Consider the AirPod itself is much the same as a cordless drill battery.

The charging case, now perhaps having a replaceable battery there would be doable, though such changes might have other consequences in size and durability. It is already bad enough that dropping the case with AirPods inside onto a tile floor will often result in the lid opening and the AirPods flying out. At least they don't also all fly apart or break. I'm amazed at the durability, having dropped mine onto concrete and even stepped on the AirPods themselves unintentionally!

It's tempting to suggest Apple could simply make the AirPod stems threaded (ideally with elegant and tiny threaded inserts). That would be doable, but you still have to route the connections for power and microphone somehow, or perhaps move the microphone up into the earbud. Same for the antenna. If it's going to be user serviceable like that, you still must protect the user from puncturing or shorting the battery or mutilating any other delicate bits. A non-soldered contact for power (and any other signals) is also a failure point, especially if dirt or water could find its way there.

Samsung's solution is interesting. Time will tell if a) it's durable/reliable enough, and b) people actually replace the batteries. If your design fails at durability and reliability, you've done the environment no favor. If people don't replace the batteries, you've wasted manufacturing energy and possibly caused (a) unnecessarily.

Engineering and product design are full of difficult compromises.
 
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Yup, it gets an extra hour of talk time. If that is make or break for someone, sure I guess go ahead and upgrade. I would guess for many, it's not an addition that is really moving the needle.

Considering shipping times for AirPods are already at 2-3 weeks, I’d guess that it moves the needle for many.
 
No thanks. I'll take compact size and less weight any day.

I backpack a lot, and there are walkers who will endure the greatest level of discomfort just to shave off a few grams from their gear (spending huge sums to get the latest ultralight gear). However, the weight they save is dwarfed by their body weight. They could save more weight in many cases by simply relieving their bladder before they set off. The same is true for the electronic devices we're carrying around.

In terms of size, smaller means less battery endurance and often less mechanical stability. I prefer elegant function, not meaningless style, but that's just me.
 
While I love my AirPods - they're a marvel of engineering and design - when I came to the realisation that they are disposable electronics with no hope of repair, I decided I won't be buying another set when the battery dies.

It's the opposite of environmentally responsible. Something that Apple frequently calls themselves. I find it hypocritical.
I am all for recycling anything possible, but I have never seen any type of ear buds or headphones that are disposable- I use electronics until they quit, or give them to grandchildren when I upgrade, and then dispose of them at sites that accept electronics. I certainly use mine enough that they are worth buying.
 
To everyone demanding replaceable batteries: what is supposed to happen to the old batteries once replaced? If you say they should be recycled--well so should the current AirPods. If the argument is that many don't recycle: would these magical replaceable batteries be the same size as the current batteries? If we assume that the attachment mechanism would need to grow (and, thus, the battery package would increase in size), it seems like the net benefit to the environment would be negligible. Is it that much better if a whale has 10 Samsung coin batteries in its stomach versus 10 AirPods? Seems like a problem either way.
 
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