Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
AirPods Now Estimated to Ship in 6 Weeks
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Seeing a lot of complaints about the lack of interface on the AirPods themselves to control volume, skip tracks, etc.
I've been using a Moto Hint for nearly 18 months (imagine a single AirPod type of device). Quite similar to an 'AirPod' in a way - put it in your ear, it turns on and connects to the phone; tap it, and you invoke Siri. And that's essentially it when it comes to controls. I use it as I find it quite convenient for listening to podcasts, audiobooks and the odd phone call with a truly wire-free device that doesn't occupy both ears. Also comes in a small carrying case that charges it when not in use.
Having said that, until complaints came up when the AirPods were announced, I never really thought twice about the lack of controls on the Hint itself. I guess it's partly because I've gotten used to using my watch for controlling media, including the crown for quick volume control.
Would it have been nice to have more controls directly on the AirPods? Sure. But it's interesting how much complaining has arisen from an announcement and before real world use.
Now, for those who are complaining, I'm genuinely curious, any ideas on how you would implement more controls on something as small as the AirPods? The tap is an easy one, but any pressing or movement I think they're hoping to avoid so that you don't fumble or knock the AirPod out of your ear. If you're upset about the lack of controls, how would you implement them if you had the option to?
I've been using a Moto Hint for nearly 18 months (imagine a single AirPod type of device). Quite similar to an 'AirPod' in a way - put it in your ear, it turns on and connects to the phone; tap it, and you invoke Siri. And that's essentially it when it comes to controls. I use it as I find it quite convenient for listening to podcasts, audiobooks and the odd phone call with a truly wire-free device that doesn't occupy both ears. Also comes in a small carrying case that charges it when not in use.
Having said that, until complaints came up when the AirPods were announced, I never really thought twice about the lack of controls on the Hint itself. I guess it's partly because I've gotten used to using my watch for controlling media, including the crown for quick volume control.
Would it have been nice to have more controls directly on the AirPods? Sure. But it's interesting how much complaining has arisen from an announcement and before real world use.
Now, for those who are complaining, I'm genuinely curious, any ideas on how you would implement more controls on something as small as the AirPods? The tap is an easy one, but any pressing or movement I think they're hoping to avoid so that you don't fumble or knock the AirPod out of your ear. If you're upset about the lack of controls, how would you implement them if you had the option to?
Dangit!
What happened to all of you jerks that said these looked stupid and that you didn't want them! Now you're all buying them. This was supposed to be an easy buy for me. No demand, right?
[doublepost=1481758875][/doublepost]
What makes them so easy to lose? I don't ***** get it. I've had tiny BT headsets and never lost them. I've never lost earbuds (unless I simply misplaced them temporarily.)
Are you expecting them to fall out of your ears and go into a storm drain or something?
What happened to all of you jerks that said these looked stupid and that you didn't want them! Now you're all buying them. This was supposed to be an easy buy for me. No demand, right?
[doublepost=1481758875][/doublepost]
I see that claim over and over again, albeit by no one that has ever actually touched them. So I have no idea what you're talking about.
What makes them so easy to lose? I don't ***** get it. I've had tiny BT headsets and never lost them. I've never lost earbuds (unless I simply misplaced them temporarily.)
Are you expecting them to fall out of your ears and go into a storm drain or something?
Last edited:
I don't get that either. If it falls out, pick it up! Or are they so comfy (and quiet!) you won't notice?Dangit!
What happened to all of you jerks that said these looked stupid and that you didn't want them! Now you're all buying them. This was supposed to be an easy buy for me. No demand, right?
[doublepost=1481758875][/doublepost]
I see that claim over and over again, albeit by no one that has ever actually touched them. So I have no idea what you're talking about.
What makes them so easy to lose? I don't ***** get it. I've had tiny BT headsets and never lost them. I've never lost earbuds (unless I simply misplaced them temporarily.)
Are you expecting them to fall out of your ears and go into a storm drain or something?
if youve been using itunes for a while now, you'll notice how much emphasis apple has put on making playlists. if youre possibly annoyed by asking siri each time to change a track, this is your answer and probably what apple is expecting you to do.
The regular EarPods will NOT stay in my ears. Even walking with them makes them fall out and I can't turn my head. Forget about working out or anything like that. Sooo.... I took an old pair of EarPods I had laying around and cut the wires off to make it look just like the new AirPods. It's like a miracle, they do NOT fall out. Shake your head, run, you name it and they stay in. It's beyond amazing to me how the cord apparently caused so much trouble for me with the EarPods even when I didn't "tug" on the cord.
I got in on the Dec 21 AirPod delivery and hope it is as secure as my homemade version...
Don't bet on it.
Apple will continue to prosper and be around for a good long time to come.
The people complaining about losing them likely aren't the people buying them in the first place. Problem solved!
The US isn't the only country in the world. At least the whole world gets a shot at ordering them.
You are way off thinking that I expect high quality at $16. I even gave some examples of where these fall short. Apples target audience I guess is everyone interested in an iPhone 7 or newer. Well, I plan to buy a new phone next year. I can choose to augment that with AirPods or spend my money on a competitors product. The features of the AirPods cause problems I don't see as issues with competitors. I am the audience. I'm just not interested in what Apple has to offer this time.
Sure. There's definitely a portion of Apple customers who buy whatever Apple releases, by let's be real what company doesn't have it's (as you say) lemmings? Samsung definitely does, so does Microsoft, Google is definitely trying to build an army of supporters. It's just too often that Apple's customers, lemmings or not, are cast in a harsh light simply because they like Apple. It's become popular to attack Apple in recent years (I guess that's what comes with being the biggest company on the planet, and building up impossibly high standards), and anyone who defends Apple, is ripe for attack. In the end, every company has factions of starry-eyed followers, and it just so happens that the biggest company in the world has the biggest amount of followers.
Even if there are Apple fanboys, these likely compromise a very small proportion of total Apple device users around the world.
Is it so hard to believe that the rest purchase Apple products simply because they like them, and that (shocker!) those Apple products truly work well for them?
Obviously everyone's ears are different, but I'm thinking that Apple is right when they say that the reason EarPods can fall out so easily for some people, is because of the wires. They put stress on the EarPods, and they pull them out of the ear canal. I've found that my EarPods fall out when I move beyond simple waking or moving around anything more than moderately. I have confidence that all the "tests" performed by youtubers are "real world" enough, which have shown me that AirPods stay in quite well. I believe that AirPods will stay in the ear much better than EarPods, but if you are after that snug, sound deadening quality, BeatsX, or even PowerBeats 3 Wireless (if it don't want to wait) are fantastic and I hugely recommend the latter, as I have the 2nd generation pair of the latter.I love the idea of AirPods and the way they charge, but if they're shaped like the Apple ear buds that ship with the iPhone, they will be falling out of my ears. I wish I could try them on in person. Ear buds that do not fit snug will not sounds rich and full. I wish that they would have used the silicon attachable fitters instead. I guess I will go with the Wireless BeatsX (in 2-3 months).
This is really funny because I almost did this. I've got several unopened cases of them from all the iPhones I've bought. I really hope you're right! We also must remember that the AirPods would be heavier with the battery, mic and wireless chip.
Yes, you can listen with one ear. Pull out one and the music stops, push play and it plays mono from the one still left in your ear. iMore's Rene Ritchie said so in his review.
I guess I will just use the charging plug from my iPhone and the cable provided. I started using a normal outlet to charge my phone since getting a Rmb. I now actually prefer doing it this way and with wifi syncing there isn't really a compelling reason to have it plugged into my laptop anyway.
The only time I plug it in to my laptop is when I am on the road if I am running low on battery. In my case taxis are cheap here and I take them very long distances so it is sort of unusual. Sometimes they have chargers in the car and other times they don't. If I had my own vehicle I would undoubtedly have a charger for my phone that would also work for these.
I don't see it being that much of an issue regardless because you don't need to charge them every day. So plug your phone outlet into a power strip or the wall and once or twice a week hook up your charging case. I personally like having as little as possible hooked to my Mac these days.
But yeah they should have been lightning to USB-C in my opinion given the latest line up. That would have meant they won't work with current iPhone charging plugs. So for me with a RMB this way works out okay or I would need to buy a charging plug or a pass through dongle. I have a USB hub if I really need to charge both my phone and pods at the same time.
You can buy a new cable if you really want that. It would have been great if these would hae shipped with the wall plug adapter. However most of us probably have an extra one lying around from past iPhones we have owned. For the big deal people are making out of the ports and dongles in 6 months it won't matter for most.
Many of us will cry a little when we are swapping out old drives and accessories but will smile when we have everything updated and matching.
[doublepost=1481780684][/doublepost]
I am too lazy to wind up my wired phones so they are always a tangled mess. With these and the case they make it too easy to not put them away properly. The fact they charge in it also will force the routine for most people. If somebody throws their pods loose into a bag I don't know what to tell that person.
Will there be an international warranty on these? I expect a few months delay before Airpods are available in my country, and these Airpods are perfectly suited for my needs.
@Attirex needs to keep "Hoping." Apple Is a 42 Billion dollar company and the richest in the world at that. I wouldn't be too concerned with bankruptcy. Second, Attirex is part of the bitter community here on Macrumors. Not a shocker.
Last edited: