AirPods 2 Teardown: H1 Chip With Bluetooth 5.0, Same Batteries, and Water-Repellent Coating on Charging Case Board

[iSayuSay]

They could? Please share your design plans for the internal components that accomplish this feat.

Obviously sarcastic, but I'm making an important point. People here are overly fond of making claims about what Apple (and other companies) should be able to accomplish, even though they usually have no idea what they are talking about. These devices are already incredible feats of technology, especially battery technology. No one in the industry has made earbuds of this type with user replaceable batteries. Doesn't that suggest something?
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The weight of things I'm wearing in my ears is pretty important.

If I'm capable of designing the whole internal by myself, I wouldn't post it on an internet forum. I would be working at Apple, or building my own headphone company.

Like I stated earlier, wireless headsets lifespan rely solely on their battery life. Any other components (speakers, wiring, chip etc) could still be working fine, but when the battery decays, so does the product. That's not okay for me. Why would a product stops being usable just because the company doesn’t want it to be fixed?

Headphones used to be a long-term product. A good quality headphone with good care, can be used for 5 years or more. People would dump it if its core component (the earpieces, or main wiring) no longer works.

This is much like "fixing" the infamous butterfly keyboard on your Macbook. One or two keys getting stuck, all Apple needs to do is replacing the whole keyboard assembly, which fused together with the top aluminum case, battery, and some of USB-C ports. All that effort just to fix a few tiny keys on the keyboard. That's like half of all otherwise well-working parts getting replaced.

Maybe Apple is capable of recycling the whole thing, but costing customers huge bills for a repair job that supposedly only fix the keyboard.

I wouldn't call it a feat of technology.

 

[manu chao]

There is something ironic about these being a status symbol among 'millenials' who prize saving the oceans, cutting waste and cutting CO2 emissions when these are perhaps one of the worst accessories in existence to buy for the environment.

Resource consumption of a given product is Amount of resources divided by Time the product is used. An SUV might last ten times as long as a pair of Airpods but it might at the same time require 100x the amount of resources. But that doesn't mean one shouldn't explore ways to improve either product (by recycling materials from the SUV or by enabling battery replacements on Airpods).
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Like I stated earlier, wireless headsets lifespan rely solely on their battery life. Any other components (speakers, wiring, chip etc) could still be working fine, but when the battery decays, so does the product. That's not okay for me. Why would a product stops being usable just because the company doesn’t want it to be fixed?

Over the last ten years, I destroyed probably about ten 'Earpods' due to the cable fraying next to the headphone plug and five Bluetooth earphones due to either the buttons on the earphones (volume, start/stop, 'pair' button) or some other internal electronics part failing. By that count, I had to trash still perfectly fine components (speakers, most wiring, most electronics) about every eight months.

Incidentally, Airpods having no cables or buttons could (in the most part) not have failed via those modes (sweat ruining the internal electronics could have still happened). Go figure. (That doesn't mean Apple shouldn't think of figuring out a way to replace the batteries on Airpods.)

 

[Rajani Isa]

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.

No cash for them, but you can get a free recycling kit for them from apple.

 

[Abazigal]

Like I stated earlier, wireless headsets lifespan rely solely on their battery life. Any other components (speakers, wiring, chip etc) could still be working fine, but when the battery decays, so does the product. That's not okay for me. Why would a product stops being usable just because the company doesn’t want it to be fixed?

I would argue that there is a fine line between a product being fixable in theory, and users actually bothering to.

Using the real world comparison of these (0 repairability score) and the Samsung buds (theoretically repairable by the end user), the question doesn’t boil down to "ugh, throw them away because they’re not repairable", it boils down to "will customers — using either pair — face a situation where they need to be repaired and if so will they actually attempt to repair them?"

I’d wager the answer is a resounding "no" on something like this, and the "yes" potential is so infrequent that it might as well be a rounding error.

 

[Rob_2811]

If I'm capable of designing the whole internal by myself, I wouldn't post it on an internet forum. I would be working at Apple, or building my own headphone company.

Like I stated earlier, wireless headsets lifespan rely solely on their battery life. Any other components (speakers, wiring, chip etc) could still be working fine, but when the battery decays, so does the product. That's not okay for me. Why would a product stops being usable just because the company doesn’t want it to be fixed?

Headphones used to be a long-term product. A good quality headphone with good care, can be used for 5 years or more. People would dump it if its core component (the earpieces, or main wiring) no longer works.

This is much like "fixing" the infamous butterfly keyboard on your Macbook. One or two keys getting stuck, all Apple needs to do is replacing the whole keyboard assembly, which fused together with the top aluminum case, battery, and some of USB-C ports. All that effort just to fix a few tiny keys on the keyboard. That's like half of all otherwise well-working parts getting replaced.

Maybe Apple is capable of recycling the whole thing, but costing customers huge bills for a repair job that supposedly only fix the keyboard.

I wouldn't call it a feat of technology.

Great post, lost on some of the zealots on here though unfortunately

I would argue that there is a fine line between a product being fixable in theory, and users actually bothering to.

Using the real world comparison of these (0 repairability score) and the Samsung buds (theoretically repairable by the end user), the question doesn’t boil down to "ugh, throw them away because they’re not repairable", it boils down to "will customers — using either pair — face a situation where they need to be repaired and if so will they actually attempt to repair them?"

I’d wager the answer is a resounding "no" on something like this, and the "yes" potential is so infrequent that it might as well be a rounding error.

That might be true in the case of a pair of earbuds but when you are talking about computers it isn't, as @iSayuSay posted having to replace most of the internal components of a laptop because of a few broken keys is purely due to terrible design.

 

[manu chao]

I would argue that there is a fine line between a product being fixable in theory, and users actually bothering to.

Using the real world comparison of these (0 repairability score) and the Samsung buds (theoretically repairable by the end user), the question doesn’t boil down to "ugh, throw them away because they’re not repairable", it boils down to "will customers — using either pair — face a situation where they need to be repaired and if so will they actually attempt to repair them?"

I’d wager the answer is a resounding "no" on something like this, and the "yes" potential is so infrequent that it might as well be a rounding error.

Note that Apple reported to usually 'sell' between 1 and 2 million iPhone battery replacements per year. However in 2018 (after lowering the price and a lot of publicity about it), that number jumped to 10 million. Lowering the price by Apple certainly shifted some battery replacements from third-party to first-party, but that huge jump is testament to that most users with an iffy battery probably didn't know they could or didn't care enough to bother with replacing the battery.

 

[iSayuSay]

Over the last ten years, I destroyed probably about ten 'Earpods' due to the cable fraying next to the headphone plug and five Bluetooth earphones due to either the buttons on the earphones (volume, start/stop, 'pair' button) or some other internal electronics part failing. By that count, I had to trash still perfectly fine components (speakers, most wiring, most electronics) about every eight months.

Incidentally, Airpods having no cables or buttons could (in the most part) not have failed via those modes (sweat ruining the internal electronics could have still happened). Go figure. (That doesn't mean Apple shouldn't think of figuring out a way to replace the batteries on Airpods.)

I don't disagree with that. Wired headphones have their own problems with cable fraying or being strained at some critical joints.
Apple's effort of removing most of those weak joints (by going completely wireless) deserves a standing applause. But by doing so, Apple creates a new problem of making the headphones disposable by not making the battery replaceable.

A damaged wired headphone can still be tricked with wire or jack replacement, or even reballing the cracked joints. Not that I would do that, but it's very much doable if you're so willing.

That's like one step forward, and one step back to me. Yep it won't frayed (as there's nothing to fray) but it decays over time due to the battery. All accounted in, all the benefit cancelled out by its weakness.

 

[manu chao]

I don't disagree with that. Wired headphones have their own problems with cable fraying or being strained at some critical joints.
Apple's effort of removing most of those weak joints (by going completely wireless) deserves a standing applause. But by doing so, Apple creates a new problem of making the headphones disposable by not making the battery replaceable.

A damaged wired headphone can still be tricked with wire or jack replacement, or even reballing the cracked joints. Not that I would do that, but it's very much doable if you're so willing.

That's like one step forward, and one step back to me. Yep it won't frayed (as there's nothing to fray) but it decays over time due to the battery. All accounted in, all the benefit cancelled out by its weakness.

There is one tradeoff with fully wireless earphones that is made basically willingly (even if not consciously) by the customer (ie, something that cannot solely be blamed on the manufacturer). No wires generally means smaller batteries (you cannot place them 'along' the wire) thus requiring a larger number of charge cycles for the same number of hours of usage. And that means faster battery degradation for a given number of usage hours.

 

[Rajani Isa]

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.

Other Devices -> Headphones

That would create an unsightly seam between the stem and the main part of the Airpod, and you know how unacceptable that would be for Jony. As always, form over function...

It would also increase the size of the airpods if they were going to keep the same capabilities.

 

[ryanwarsaw]

The phrase is "couldn't care less" thank you

Most of us could care less. Thanks.

 

[lordofthereef]

Skinning the comments I feel like folks are missing the point.

First and foremost, ifixit gives everything a repairability score. That is their thing. Everything they take apart gets scored. The fact that "of course it wouldn't be repairable" is Botond at all relevant here because it's getting a score whether it's obvious or not.

Second, and maybe actually more important, we are seeing us slowly move farther and farther away from repairing devices ourselves. This may be the natural progression of things. And that's ok. But it's still worthy of discussion and looking at.

I'm mostly disappointed Inc all buds of this class because we are so eager to reduce wires that we are going out and repacking our earbuds now every 2-5 years. Apple has long had a vision of being green. I don't know that a disposable earbuds is very green no matter how you spin it. This isn't s criticism of Apple. It's a problem with this specific product space. Whether you feel like a cool cyborg with microtechnology close to your brain is irrelevant. It's going to be rotting in a dump sooner than our phones, inputted, etc.

 

[VulchR]

No...they're much more important.

So when the batteries run out we all have a light paperweight rather than a marginally heavier working device. Never form over function....

 

[nikusak]

Apple needs to stop making products that cannot be repaired. You might give Apple a pass for the ear buds, but they do the same thing for all of their products and it sucks. Any yes, I am still using an iPhone 4S. Why? Because getting to the battery to replace wasn't hard unlike the newer models, and treating electronics like disposable trash is ruining the planet. I'll be upgrading my phone soon, but Apple increasingly is making their products less attractive by making them hard to repair while simultaneously making them less reliable.

BS.

Apple leads Greenpeace’s greener electronics rankings, just after Fairphone.

Samsung, Huawei etc. rank terribly poorly in comparison. Chinese companies in particular do not care about the environment at all and strangely the media gives them a free pass.

https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/research/guide-to-greener-electronics-2017/

Send your AirPods back to Apple when the battery is toast. They will recycle them.

Battery replacements are available for all current iPhones for a few dozen dollars at authorised repair.

The average lifetime of an iPhone is probably 2-3 times of a typical cheap Android phone. The aftermarket for used iPhones is huge.

Cheap Android phones are disposable trash, not iPhones which even get SW updates for five years.

 

[citysnaps]

So when the batteries run out we all have a light paperweight rather than a marginally heavier working device. Never form over function....

We all have? Speaking for everyone now?

My batteries last all day.

 

[hans1972]

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.

So if repairability is important you, why did you buy them in the first place?

 

[Benz63amg]

so the speakers are exactly the same as the ones in the original airpods? Were all the users that claims airpods 2 sounded better/louder wrong then?

 

[trifid]

So if repairability is important you, why did you buy them in the first place?

When they came out it was a new product category, many things were unknown and I don't think anyone expected or anticipated such a drastic degradation in less than 2 years. In my case it's around 50-60% battery degradation, and I see several comments from others with similar results. Yes we all know batteries degrade, but I didn't expect it to be that drastically, that quickly.

With that being said, I still love the product and so I will keep pushing Apple to change it, my strategy now will be to use it for a year then sell it, then buy another. It's sad but even as a disposable product, we'll have to workaround it if or until Apple changes it.

 

[KevinN206]

Don't fall for this propaganda by iFixit who has a financial incentive to lie. They aren't disposable any more than an iPhone, iPad, etc. is. Apple can replace the battery, and like every other Apple product, if the time comes when it no longer is serviceable, Apple will take it back for free and recycle/reuse the components- (best recyclable program in the industry, heck, I just checked and Apple is offering me $130 trade in on my 2011 iMac!)

Apple: Removed 3.5mm jack. Courage!

Apple truthertech: Wireless is the future. Use the AirPods!

Apple Users: My AirPods is dying after two years.

iFixit: AirPods have a repairability of 0/10.

Apple truthertech: Don't fall for this propaganda by iFixit who has a financial incentive to lie...

Apple truthertech: Apple can replace the battery...

Apple Users: Check out the fees...

Apple truthertech: See iFixit has a financial incentive to lie!

Apple: Cries walking to the bank $$$$$$$$$.

 

[truthertech]

Apple: Removed 3.5mm jack. Courage!

Apple truthertech: Wireless is the future. Use the AirPods!

Apple Users: My AirPods is dying after two years.

iFixit: AirPods have a repairability of 0/10.

Apple truthertech: Don't fall for this propaganda by iFixit who has a financial incentive to lie...

Apple truthertech: Apple can replace the battery...

Apple Users: Check out the fees...

Apple truthertech: See iFixit has a financial incentive to lie!

Apple: Cries walking to the bank $$$$$$$$$.

That's a lot of real estate you used to not ever get to the issue- iFixit said they were disposable, which means they can't be repaired or recycled, neither of which is true.

Hopefully we can minimize the damage to the environment that iFixit may cause by misleading people. Remember, Apple has the best recycling program in the industry. They will take ANY Apple product back to recycle it at no cost, even paying for shipping, and they have best and simplest trade in program in the industry, so there's no need to dispose of any Apple product, ever!

 

[Abazigal]

That's a lot of real estate you used to not ever get to the issue- iFixit said they were disposable, which means they can't be repaired or recycled, neither of which is true.

Hopefully we can minimize the damage to the environment that iFixit may cause by misleading people. Remember, Apple has the best recycling program in the industry. They will take ANY Apple product back to recycle it at no cost, even paying for shipping, and they have best and simplest trade in program in the industry, so there's no need to dispose of any Apple product, ever!

Which also begs the question - how many people are going to bother returning their AirPods to Apple to be recycled, vs simply tossing it into the bin or keeping it in your drawer, given that there is no incentive for doing so? Not even a gift card?

 

[VulchR]

We all have? Speaking for everyone now?

My batteries last all day.

They won't always. Batteries age and become less able to hold a charge. Then, at the point when a simple change of battery would double the life of the earphones, you won't be able to change the battery.

 

[citysnaps]

They won't always. Batteries age and become less able to hold a charge. Then, at the point when a simple change of battery would double the life of the earphones, you won't be able to change the battery.

Yes. I think most people know that.

 

[Gilligan's last elephant]

Yes. I think most people know that.

I suspect the majority of people do not know this. Most people are not tech savvy and will be surprised/annoyed when their wireless ear buds of any manufacturer stop holding a sufficient charge after 1.5 to 2 years of use, and battery replacement isnt possible (for a reasonable cost).

 

[truthertech]

Which also begs the question - how many people are going to bother returning their AirPods to Apple to be recycled, vs simply tossing it into the bin or keeping it in your drawer, given that there is no incentive for doing so? Not even a gift card?

Come on. If someone is the kind of person who doesn't give a damn about the environment enough to expend the energy to not put your aluminum cans in the trash, Apple isn't going to be able to give them a conscience. They will give you a label, but, again, not the conscience. If it's too much to stop by an Apple store or reseller, or other electronics recycler, Apple will send pay for the cost of shipping it to them. Best recycling program in the tech world. Best program probably with any company in the world.

 

[exad]

I don't know why people are complaining about repairability. I never bought a pair of headphones at the $200 price mark that I expected would be repairable. Who would?
Second, You can and should recycle electronics and Apple even has a program to buy back many older devices.
Third, most people don't even repair their desktops let alone their laptops when they break, they just buy a new one.
While being able to repair stuff is nice, it directly contradicts the demand for certain form factors and features.
Third, if you want to be able to repair your stuff, just go buy products that are repairable. Why waste your time complaining about a company who clearly values being able to fit powerful computing into small form factors?