AirPods Launch on Apple Store for $159 With December 21 Delivery

[Ma2k5]

You are right. This is conceptually closer to the beats X than the Powerbeats 3.

I dunno. To me, adding a strap kinda defeats the whole point? So now I have to remove the strap before keeping the airpods in the charging case and then manually add it back on when I take the airpods out? If this means another rubber strap to manage, I may as well just go back to using EarPods.

The strap just seems like a very cynical ploy by said company to capitalize on a very bad joke. For me, I have ordered a set from Apple's online store. If I find the airpods don't stay in my ears, or have some other debilitating drawback, I am returning it for a refund. Not going to bother with accessories to try and work around those issues.

Personally I am not getting the strap either, as I think that with the strap, they won't stay in my ears properly. But some people may be quite worried about it falling out or, don't want to always have to put it in the charging case when not in use (i.e. they may want to just have it around their neck when not using it). Think there might be a market for those who don't really need fully wireless, but love the W1 and EarPods form. Each to their own .

 

[Pootmatoot]

just-in-timing...

personally I like the aesthetics of them. i think it is a clever design considering the beam forming nature of the mics and that tapping them will be easier and more comforting to tap by the stem then if you were tapping them deeper into your ear. the stem also provides an area to slip on a simple retainer strap. only issue i see is the retainer strap fitting in the carry case and for charging.

I love the aesthetics when they're in the box.

The aesthetics in use makes Google Glass look cool. They look absurd.

 

[jonnyb]

I love the aesthetics when they're in the box.

The aesthetics in use makes Google Glass look cool. They look absurd.

If you showed both these pictures to someone in the 19th century, they would probably say they looked equally absurd. We've just grown used to the latter.

 

[Ma2k5]

If you showed both these pictures to someone in the 19th century, they would probably say they looked equally absurd. We've just grown used to the latter.

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Exactly that .

 

[Pootmatoot]

If you showed both these pictures to someone in the 19th century, they would probably say they looked equally absurd. We've just grown used to the latter.

View attachment 677929

Well yes.

But there's a reason some things are mocked more than others. Take Google Glass.

There are many bluetooth earbuds: none look so bizarre.

 

[Ma2k5]

Well yes.

But there's a reason some things are mocked more than others. Take Google Glass.

There are many bluetooth earbuds: none look so bizarre.

This doesn't look great to me either (Bragi headphones)

 

[jonnyb]

Well yes.

But there's a reason some things are mocked more than others. Take Google Glass.

There are many bluetooth earbuds: none look so bizarre.

You're right - but, as someone has already mentioned, the AirPods' stalks contain beam-forming microphones that point toward the mouth.

I have some Bragi 'The Headphone' on order, but all the reviews so far say they're not very good for voice calls because the earbuds are contained entirely within the ear and the distance between the microphone and the mouth is too great.

So, perhaps design is not just how something looks, but also how it works.

 

[Abazigal]

I love the aesthetics when they're in the box.

The aesthetics in use makes Google Glass look cool. They look absurd.

Once upon a time, the concept of wearing a watch on your wrist was considered absurd as well.

 

[mikezmac]

Once upon a time, the concept of wearing a watch on your wrist was considered absurd as well.

They are the same form factor as the existing stock headphones, just no wire.

Also if my music is on I cannot hear you complaining about their appearance.

Good tunes and can't hear the nagging = WIN, WIN

 

[JohnnyGo]

Once upon a time, the concept of wearing a watch on your wrist was considered absurd as well.

Until "flying men" like Santos Dumont needed a place to put the watch and see the time quickly

 

[GadgetBen]

If you showed both these pictures to someone in the 19th century, they would probably say they looked equally absurd. We've just grown used to the latter.

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Agreed. It's all about people gettting used to the change from wires to wireless. Wires have defined headphones for decades. So either you go for these or the in-between ear piece headphones that ultimately look like hearing aids:

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This doesn't look great to me either (Bragi headphones)

At first there will be people who point and laugh, then ultimately everyone will be wearing them or similar.

 

[rockyromero]

the stem also provides an area to slip on a simple retainer strap. only issue i see is the retainer strap fitting in the carry case and for charging.

I ordered a strap for my AirPods.

I think there may be some clever ways of attaching them.

It makes sense to secure them when out in public or working out.

They seem easy enough to attach or remove when needed.

Next year, AirPods will be easier to obtain, at half the price, and in multiple colors.

➰

 

[JohnnyGo]

I ordered a strap for my AirPods.

I think there may be some clever ways of attaching them.

It makes sense to secure them when out in public or working out.

They seem easy enough to attach or remove when needed.

Next year, AirPods will be easier to obtain, at half the price, and in multiple colors.

➰

Ditto.

Airpods in Jet Black and Matte Black are coming... Xmas 2017 !

 

[ianrip]

Been checking the status daily since, forever, finally ordered and now have to wait 4 weeks, I almost bought some BOSE today.
PS shipping to Thailand

 

[Bane-Thunder]

Ordered. Dec 19th UK Can't wait. Can't stand wires no longer.And the beauty of this is that the case that holds the airpods also charges it. Amazing.

 

[oftheheavens]

there are also the Bragi Headphones.. they are the same price as the apple airpods (10$ cheaper actually) we'll see how they work next jan.. ordered a pair to test

https://www.bragi.com/shop/row_en/the-headphone.html?color=9

Wow! Never even heard of these but the Dash ones look amazing! waterproof and gesture control with 4gb onboard storage for music (don't need it since I always wear my watch but still, neat!) If they weren't double the price of apple's I would try them first, may even put out an extra $75 over the AirPods for the dash if they work as well as the video makes them look. The girl hangs her head out of a moving car and they don't fall out.....I do NOT see that happening with the AirPods. If I didn't wear a beanie when I go snowboarding I don't think I would have even gotten the AirPods (well probably for hiking and such if the reviews were good but I digress). I hope they are great and I hope my shipping date improves or I score a pair next monday in store!
[doublepost=1481724649][/doublepost]

Anyone considering buying the Airpods strap at all by Spigen?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/AirPods-Spigen®-PENDING-Connector-Airpods/dp/B01LVZ4SXN/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1481708442&sr=8-3&keywords=airpods+apple

absolutely! I want something just like this for when I go long boarding but even more so when I go snowboarding! Can you imagine dropping one at like 30mph+ and then having to hike back up to try to find it? The only hope you would have is if the AirPod can play music loud enough and that there is no wind on the slope so you can hear it from several feet away.

Now, to buy this and wear it for normal everyday use would be rather silly. You could get much better wired earbuds, probably with more features that don't rely on siri, for the same if not less money.

Thanks for the link though, I already ordered one.

You mean the PowerBeats 3? I don't know, I feel that is a completely different beast. They are a lot more hefty and not everyone will like the design of the wings/clasps etc. The cable also has a remote so it will add more drag/weight.

This cable makes it more similar to the Beats-X, but keeping the Airpods in-ear form. In addition, the wire seems much less troublesome then the Beats-X (shorter, lighter, no remote). Besides, the Beats-X doesn't ship till Feb/March, and it doesn't have a charging case.

It could help those who liked the Airpods but were tempted to go for the Beats-X because they were worried about strapless design.

I was one of those worried about it. I love using the lightest headphones when doing aggressive sports and I am not taking my $300 (or whatever) pair of beats on the slopes for snowboarding or long boarding. With this cheap lightweight cord thing I can now just pop it on real quick before I am going to do something where I think I could easily lose one.

 

[Ma2k5]

Wow! Never even heard of these but the Dash ones look amazing! waterproof and gesture control with 4gb onboard storage for music (don't need it since I always wear my watch but still, neat!) If they weren't double the price of apple's I would try them first, may even put out an extra $75 over the AirPods for the dash if they work as well as the video makes them look. The girl hangs her head out of a moving car and they don't fall out.....I do NOT see that happening with the AirPods. If I didn't wear a beanie when I go snowboarding I don't think I would have even gotten the AirPods (well probably for hiking and such if the reviews were good but I digress). I hope they are great and I hope my shipping date improves or I score a pair next monday in store!
[doublepost=1481724649][/doublepost]

absolutely! I want something just like this for when I go long boarding but even more so when I go snowboarding! Can you imagine dropping one at like 30mph+ and then having to hike back up to try to find it? The only hope you would have is if the AirPod can play music loud enough and that there is no wind on the slope so you can hear it from several feet away.

Now, to buy this and wear it for normal everyday use would be rather silly. You could get much better wired earbuds, probably with more features that don't rely on siri, for the same if not less money.

Thanks for the link though, I already ordered one.

There are a few other accessories out there to make it more comfortable/secure if you are worried about them falling out. Have a look at Earhoox/EarSkinz and there are some who even create hooks, which can be attached to EarPods/Airpods.

 

[rockyromero]

The hilarity of thinking voiced based AI is going to play a major part in the future of computing (not disputing that by the way) and thinking Apple is going to be leading the way. Absolutely nothing suggests that at all.

Airpods is a step towards AI using Siri.

I'm hoping that Apple has the correct AI interpretation of the future.

➰

 

[xthine]

Wow! Never even heard of these but the Dash ones look amazing! waterproof and gesture control with 4gb onboard storage for music (don't need it since I always wear my watch but still, neat!)....

Others on here have had problems with their Dash but I fortunately have not. I use it for hiking and trail running and they've never fallen out nor have I had to re adjust them (more than once or twice) during an activity. I've been wearing touch sensitive gloves and have not had issues using the controls on the Dash (unlike my Jabra Elite Sport).

 

[Ma2k5]

Others on here have had problems with their Dash but I fortunately have not. I use it for hiking and trail running and they've never fallen out nor have I had to re adjust them (more than once or twice) during an activity. I've been wearing touch sensitive gloves and have not had issues using the controls on the Dash (unlike my Jabra Elite Sport).

I also believe the Dash has a much worse battery than the headphone counter-part. Wouldn't buy myself.

 

[oftheheavens]

There are a few other accessories out there to make it more comfortable/secure if you are worried about them falling out. Have a look at Earhoox/EarSkinz and there are some who even create hooks, which can be attached to EarPods/Airpods.

added both to the my list. Didn't buy them yet like the spigen thing but I think that I will more than likely get at least the EarSkins to use during the summer time when I get a little sweaty. I pray these AirPods build a better track record than the earbuds that currently have a life span of a few summer heat runs or a handful of tough gym days before the sweat kills them.

Others on here have had problems with their Dash but I fortunately have not. I use it for hiking and trail running and they've never fallen out nor have I had to re adjust them (more than once or twice) during an activity. I've been wearing touch sensitive gloves and have not had issues using the controls on the Dash (unlike my Jabra Elite Sport).

Man if only like $75-100 cheaper I would buy the dash as well and return the ones I didn't like the most. Thanks for the input on them though, definitely looks like a company apple should buy and use the tech for the 2nd gen AirPods
[doublepost=1481727055][/doublepost]

Well yes.

But there's a reason some things are mocked more than others. Take Google Glass.

There are many bluetooth earbuds: none look so bizarre.

I think that soon we will all be using some form of google glass for augmented VR such as walking by a store and getting a readout of the days specials and reviews from customers. Think is that it has to be in a way that the masses won't feel "dorky" which a lot of youngsters think glasses=dorky. Especially when they are thick and odd looking. So when someone solves that problem we will all be wearing google glass type things on our face. If we didn't want the watch route you could have notifications to your watch but even then you wouldn't get immediate feedback aka augmented VR.

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This doesn't look great to me either (Bragi headphones)

First thought was hipster hearing aid lol

Agreed. It's all about people gettting used to the change from wires to wireless. Wires have defined headphones for decades. So either you go for these or the in-between ear piece headphones that ultimately look like hearing aids:



At first there will be people who point and laugh, then ultimately everyone will be wearing them or similar.

so funny you said hearing aid as I felt the same way when I say the Bragi's. I don't see anything to even point and laugh at, it is less "hey look at me" than wearing the wireless beats or other headphones you see people walking around wearing.

I ordered a strap for my AirPods.

I think there may be some clever ways of attaching them.

It makes sense to secure them when out in public or working out.

They seem easy enough to attach or remove when needed.

Next year, AirPods will be easier to obtain, at half the price, and in multiple colors.

➰

I also got the spigen cord for when I am out doing aggressive sports like snowboarding. The spigen was only 9.99 and came with a nub on it so that it wraps around the AirPods case and then the nub connects to the wire to keep it tight. Check it out on amazon!

Next year, AirPods will be about 20-50 dollars cheaper, water/sweat resistant, multiple colors and most importantly some kind of "find my AirPods" like the ability to have it beep really loud till found, small gps chips to use your phone to find them or some other way to find a misplaced AirPod.

 

[MathersMahmood]

Ordered.

AirPods are a part of the move to a new paradigm in computing.

Before the iPhone, a phone or even a PDA were inferior to a laptop. Nobody could imagine how such a small screen could be just as productive as a full computer, how a phone could access the "real internet" and not some WAP limited version. The iPhone introduced a new paradigm on how we interact with computers. We didn't need a mouse and cursor UI and a large physical keyboard. Multi touch gestures and apps designed for the small screen made productivity on a phone possible. Eventually, most people stopped having to carry around laptops for everything. For them, a slab of glass in their pockets fulfills their computer needs.

That takes us to ubiquitous wearable computing. Again, we're seeing critics suggest that a small screen on a Watch or no screen in AirPods can never outdo a touch screen of an iPhone. That's because they're trying to imagine how a multi touch user interface can fit on a small Watch face just like the generation before tried to imagine a mouse and cursor UI with desktop designed apps on a PDA.

The new paradigm is an omnipresent voice based UI. Apple Watch was the first step to a Siri based user interface very much like in the movie "Her".

I can raise my wrist and issue a command or ask a question. It's become such a daily part of my life that I've forgotten how it's not a usual thing yet. People see me talking to my wrist to set the lights in my house to get ready for dinner and they stare at me like: "did you just do that?"

What has been missing is reliable voice feedback. That's where AirPods comes in. Fast forward to 2 or 3 generations of AirPods and Apple Watches down the road and Siri will be built-in to both devices and independent of an iPhone. You'll be able to ask Siri questions and issue commands like you do to a real life assistant. Video and picture activities could be AirPlayed to a nearby display such as a TV or an iPad if you have one nearby.

In the meantime, today, with AirPods and AppleWatch, I'll be able to leave my phone at home for limited uses such as going to the gym or taking my dog for a walk in the neighbourhood. I'll have my music and will still get intermittent access to my information as I pass WiFi hotspots along the way or reach a cafe or the gym which I'm logged in to.

I look forward to seeing this new paradigm grow like multi touch UI did after Steve introduced the iPhone in 2007.

This is the best comment I have read since i joined this site. Seriously I can picture what you said in my head.

 

[bunnicula]

Aside from hiding them, honestly, who cares what others think when wearing them. I can think of a lot of more outlandish things people wear besides some Airpods. If someone wants to judge and laugh while I wear these, please do. My response is a laugh in return to show how shallow these people are, being they need to express and hide their insecurity of "Laughing." Transparency is skin deep for some.

Oh, yeah... I would still pull back my hair while wearing these if I wanted to.

I only posted that because it's silly to think that everyone wearing these will have them on display for the world to see each time they put them on in public.

Naturally, I am also of the opinion that they look no more or less silly than any other earbud devices, so I don't get what the big deal is in all of this.

 

[xthine]

I also believe the Dash has a much worse battery than the headphone counter-part. Wouldn't buy myself.

3 hours is enough for me right now since I mainly use it while trail running. The charging case adds more hours but I don't bring it with me out running.

Man if only like $75-100 cheaper I would buy the dash as well and return the ones I didn't like the most. Thanks for the input on them though, definitely looks like a company apple should buy and use the tech for the 2nd gen AirPods

You're welcome! Hope you find a pair that suits your needs the best

 

[bunnicula]

More and More likely these will gain in popularity when the public can see them more often being used.

Someone has to be the first in a given area to try out a new thing. I was the first person I knew (besides my son, who got his the same day) that owned the original iPhone. Shortly after, a few of my coworkers and friends bought one. My son remained the only person in his high school with an iPhone for several months after school started and really, there were few people who had them at all his last two years of school (he was a rising junior when the original was released). The iPhone wasn't something that people bought their kids and not that many kids both had the money AND wanted to commit to an unknown entity like that one just yet. My son bought his with the money he'd saved and had earmarked for a handheld (I forget which PS portable it was at the time). He's a collector, so he still has the original and the box it came in.

Now, you cannot walk without tripping over someone who is using an iPhone.