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AirPods 3 Reviews: Better Comfort, Snugger Fit, Improved Sound and Compelling Price Point

dz5b609 said:
Weird how the lack of (passive) noise cancellation is considered a negative, for me it's the feature why I'm getting these to replace the 1st gen airpods besides my Airpods pro. A lot of passive noise cancellation would totally defeat the purpose for me. It's also the differentiator between the Pro's and the normal ones, you want noise cancellation, get the pros.
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Well, the pros also have active noise cancellation as well as a transparency mode, so there would still be a big differentiator between them even if the Gen 3 had silicone tips. I'm confused why you say that a better seal between the Airpods Gen 3 and your ears would "defeat the purpose" for you. What do you view their purpose as?
 
Darth Tulhu said:
I cannot seem to bring myself to pay so much for something I'd use so little.

Of all the Apple products, these are the ones that seem to me as overpriced for what they are and do.

I'm not against those who do, but I just can't see or justify the value with these.

I wonder how these sit in the profit margin spectrum for Apple.
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Well, of course. I wouldn't be able to justify the cost of a premium sewing machine . . . because I don't sew. Sort of a self-evident thing that you can't justify the cost of something you rarely or never use. But millions of people use headphones all the time to listen to music, podcasts, and for phone calls on the go, so getting earbuds designed by Apple to work seamlessly with their products is a no-brainer for those folks.
 
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MrMojo1 said:
Everyone's ears are different.
The Airpods and Earpods got a lot of hate because lots of people can't use them. The design of those airpods/earpods don't fit onto people's ears and they fall off.
That's exactly why I don't like them as they don't fit and fall out every time.
Was expecting the new AP3 to be different, but apparently, some of the reviews, like Engadget's review, stated that it's essentially the same, on ear design.
I'll stick with the AP Pros.
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iJustine said she has small ears and these seemed bigger. Will have to wait for tomorrow and see.
 
MrMojo1 said:
Everyone's ears are different.
The Airpods and Earpods got a lot of hate because lots of people can't use them. The design of those airpods/earpods don't fit onto people's ears and they fall off.
That's exactly why I don't like them as they don't fit and fall out every time.
Was expecting the new AP3 to be different, but apparently, some of the reviews, like Engadget's review, stated that it's essentially the same, on ear design.
I'll stick with the AP Pros.
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Me too. As an experiment I removed the tips from my Pros and stuck 'em in my ears and they literally fell out immediately. They didn't even try. The regular AirPods at least hung in there for a little while. The new ones look smaller than the tip-less Pros but I bet they don't stay in very long.
 
Will be getting these from the 1st retailer who offers a significant discount, which will probably be Amazon because this important lead I just gave will most likely reach them the soonest.
 
ginhb said:
They're actually bigger. You can see them side by side on some of the latest videos.
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I'm looking at the side by side pic in this thread and they look smaller to me. The Pro is on the right, and AirPod 3 in the middle. The Pro definitely looks bigger to me.

airpods-3-gizmodo.jpg
 
usagora said:
Well, of course. I wouldn't be able to justify the cost of a premium sewing machine . . . because I don't sew. Sort of a self-evident thing that you can't justify the cost of something you rarely or never use. But millions of people use headphones all the time to listen to music, podcasts, and for phone calls on the go, so getting earbuds designed by Apple to work seamlessly with their products is a no-brainer for those folks.
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I do have headphones and do all the things you mention, daily. But I'm not sure I'd use all the capabilities of AirPods specifically to the fullest extent, perhaps. I hear people put these in and don't take them off until they need charging...

Anything in the Apple ecosystem is going to be more frictionless than the competition, and I appreciate that, but it seems to me that AirPods cost at least twice of what they should.

Granted, clearly Apple has priced these where the market will bear it, so I am raging against the machine, in a sense.

And so, this is the one Apple product where I feel the so-called "Apple Tax" is legit. In my mind, paying $130-$500 for consumer headphones is firmly in $700 Mac Pro wheels territory.

To each their own, though.
 
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Yes that picture makes the size look noticeably different from the video I saw where he was turning them around to show more of a 3D representation. Here's another photo I had looked at. They look similar there. Depends on the viewing angle I guess.
I returned the Pros but expect the 3rd generation to work for me even better than the 2nd, which never fell out even while running and biking. And the improved sound quality will be welcome.

Pods.png
 
Darth Tulhu said:
I do have headphones and do all the things you mention, daily. But I'm not sure I'd use all the capabilities of AirPods specifically to the fullest extent, perhaps. I hear people put these in and don't take them off until they need charging...

Anything in the Apple ecosystem is going to be more frictionless than the competition, and I appreciate that, but it seems to me that AirPods cost at least twice of what they should.

Granted, clearly Apple has priced these where the market will bear it, so I am raging against the machine, in a sense.

And so, this is the one Apple product where I feel the so-called "Apple Tax" is legit. In my mind, paying $130-$500 for consumer headphones is firmly in $700 Mac Pro wheels territory.

To each their own, though.
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I'd say AirPods (even at their cost) don't compare at all to $700 Mac Pro wheels. There's a reason why I can guarantee the sale figures for those two products are not even in the same universe. You yourself just said you feel the "Apple Tax" is legit with AirPods. Surely you wouldn't say the same thing about the Mac Pro wheels, would you?

I'll be honest with you. I've never owned a pair of AirPods until last week. I've been using some cheap $30 or so on-ear wrap-around (the neck) headphones for years. I never really liked in-ear headphones. But after all these years, I decided to give the AirPod Pros a try, and now I'm wondering why it took me so long! I find them extremely comfortable, they sound great, and they work seamlessly between my Mac and iPhone and with Siri. And even such a little thing like how it pauses your video or music if you take one out (and resumes it once you put it back in) is really nice.

So, to me, with what I said above (and more) for something I use many hours every day, the price tag is nothing.
 
usagora said:
I'd say AirPods (even at their cost) don't compare at all to $700 Mac Pro wheels. There's a reason why I can guarantee the sale figures for those two products are not even in the same universe.
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One is more useful than the other, and $700 is a lot more than $130. I get that.

However, if I had the money to burn and needed to wheel my Mac Pro around a lot, then $700 might not seem as much to me given my needs and wants. That's how I see AirPods' pricing.

usagora said:
You yourself just said you feel the "Apple Tax" is legit with AirPods. Surely you wouldn't say the same thing about the Mac Pro wheels, would you?
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I never believed in the "Apple Tax", as it was a term used in derision by PC fans that felt Apple products weren't worth it. So that's what I meant when I said it was "legit".

usagora said:
I'll be honest with you. I've never owned a pair of AirPods until last week. I've been using some cheap $30 or so on-ear wrap-around (the neck) headphones for years. I never really liked in-ear headphones. But after all these years, I decided to give the AirPod Pros a try, and now I'm wondering why it took me so long! I find them extremely comfortable, they sound great, and they work seamlessly between my Mac and iPhone and with Siri. And even such a little thing like how it pauses your video or music if you take one out (and resumes it once you put it back in) is really nice.

So, to me, with what I said above (and more) for something I use many hours every day, the price tag is nothing.
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I can accept this. But I guess I am similar those people that can't justify $,1000 phones and $3,000 Macs.

AirPods, at least for now, fall into that category for me. Perhaps I should bite the cost, give them a try, and maybe eat my words. Then again, my wallet might say "ignorance is bliss."

;)
 
Darth Tulhu said:
One is more useful than the other, and $700 is a lot more than $130. I get that.

However, if I had the money to burn and needed to wheel my Mac Pro around a lot, then $700 might not seem as much to me given my needs and wants. That's how I see AirPods' pricing.


I never believed in the "Apple Tax", as it was a term used in derision by PC fans that felt Apple products weren't worth it. So that's what I meant when I said it was "legit".


I can accept this. But I guess I am similar those people that can't justify $,1000 phones and $3,000 Macs.

AirPods, at least for now, fall into that category for me. Perhaps I should bite the cost, give them a try, and maybe eat my words. Then again, my wallet might say "ignorance is bliss."

;)
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Just curious - what Apple products do you currently own?
 
usagora said:
Well, the pros also have active noise cancellation as well as a transparency mode, so there would still be a big differentiator between them even if the Gen 3 had silicone tips. I'm confused why you say that a better seal between the Airpods Gen 3 and your ears would "defeat the purpose" for you. What do you view their purpose as?
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Listening to them while still hearing (a large part) of my environment is their purpose to me, or using them to just not annoy my roommates but otherwise don't want/need in-ear design with passive noise cancellation. These are just more convenient than any in-ear will be in terms of just chucking them in.
 
dz5b609 said:
Listening to them while still hearing (a large part) of my environment is their purpose to me, or using them to just not annoy my roommates but otherwise don't want/need in-ear design with passive noise cancellation. These are just more convenient than any in-ear will be in terms of just chucking them in.
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Well the nice thing about the Pros is you can also do that with them too (either don't install the silicone tips, turn off ANC, or turn ON Transparency mode to hear your surroundings even better). So it's the best of both worlds. But I agree if you have no desire for ANC or "PNC" at any time, then obviously they wouldn't be worth the extra cost to you.

And really, ANC on the Pros, while it does make a big difference, is nowhere near an "isolation booth" effect or anything. You can still hear your surroundings.
 
usagora said:
Just curious - what Apple products do you currently own?
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Ah, the old "cred" question?

OK, I'll bite.

Been using Apple exclusively since 2001 (outside of work-issued PCs), but currently this is the household list:

4 iPhone xR
1 iPhone 12 Pro
1 10.5 iPad Pro
1 1st gen Apple Pencil
1 6th gen iPad
2 12.9 iPad Pros (latest and 3rd Gen)
1 gen 2 Pencil
3 older Apple TVs I don't use (switched to FireSticks instead)
1 2012 27" iMac
1 2011 17" MBP (almost dead)
1 2012 matte 15in MacBook Pro (non-Retina)
A couple of old iPhone 4s
A couple of old iPods
A first gen iPad (I use as a digital photo frame) on its dock
3 Beats cans (can't remember which is which)
Waiting for delivery of an S7 Watch

FYI, my kids have their own PCs for gaming and creative work (I'm the only Mac fan in the house).
 
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Darth Tulhu said:
Ah, the old "cred" question?
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No, not at all. I was just curious since you seemed to think AirPods and iPhones were too expensive at ~$180 and ~$1000 respectively, but I notice you own a iPhone 12 Pro, which started at $999 at launch and your 12.9 iPad Pro starts at $1099. Not sure if you bought your older Apple products when they were new, but I bet when you adjust for inflation, they'd all be a pretty penny in 2021 dollars too. And S7 watches start at $399.
 
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usagora said:
No, not at all. I was just curious since you seemed to think AirPods and iPhones were too expensive at ~$180 and ~$1000 respectively, but I notice you own a iPhone 12 Pro, which started at $999 at launch and your 12.9 iPad Pro starts at $1099. Not sure if you bought your older Apple products when they were new, but I bet when you adjust for inflation, they'd all be a pretty penny in 2021 dollars too. And S7 watches start at $399.
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What I've been trying to say is that I do not see the perceived value in AirPods, like I do for the rest of the products in Apple's lineup (save of course for the Mac Pro wheels).

It's not an issue of being able to afford them (clearly, I can).

All my Apple products have been "expensive", but when compared with competitors I've always felt the small premium (Apple's products have ALWAYS been competitive for what you get) was worth it.

I feel AirPods break this trend.
 
Darth Tulhu said:
What I've been trying to say is that I do not see the perceived value in AirPods, like I do for the rest of the products in Apple's lineup (save of course for the Mac Pro wheels).

It's not an issue of being able to afford them (clearly, I can).

All my Apple products have been "expensive", but when compared with competitors I've always felt the small premium (Apple's products have ALWAYS been competitive for what you get) was worth it.

I feel AirPods break this trend.
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But you also mentioned "$1000 phones", yet you own one of those. And for the record, I never thought (nor said) you were saying you couldn't afford them. I just find it odd that AirPods are the only popular Apple product that you don't see the perceived value in. Definitely seems like you're in the minority there among Apple fans. I think you might very well change your mind there if you test-drive them for a while (like you mentioned earlier).
 
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allenvanhellen said:
$179 for disposable earphones will never be compelling, unless inflation raises the prices of milk and bread to $20-30.
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its honestly not bad for apple / AirPods land

pro is 249 msrp
regular was 159 and 199 w wireless charging until this just came out

a $20 cut from the wireless charging model, and a whole new acoustics and smaller design stem, generation leap, etc.

not bad
 
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The way I see it, the AirPods and AppleTV have the most value.

iPhone - $1000
3 year cycle
$333 per year
$27.75 per month


MacBook Air - $1000
8 year cycle
$125 per year
$10.42 per month


iPad Pro - $800
5 year cycle
$160 per year
$13.4 per month


Apple Watch - $400
4 year cycle
$100 per year
$8.3 per month


AirPods - $180
3 year cycle
$60 per year
$5 per month

Apple TV 4K - $180
6 year cycle
$30 per year
$2.5 per month

We spend way more than that every month on stuff we don’t even need like junk food and Starbucks. AirPods has WAY more value than people realize.
 
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