AirPods Pro 3 Impossible to Repair, Earn Score of 0 in iFixit Teardown

[WarmWinterHat]

I’m in the market for a new Apple Watch too, mine broke a few years ago, I’d get one of the new pebbles but due to apples arrogance I heard I’d be locked out of certain features such as notifications working properly

If it's anything like my Garmin, you get notifications fine, and can dismiss them and sometimes respond to them. You can't control what notifications do and don't appear on the watch. They will mirror the phone.

I really, really (did I mention really) despise notifications and keep almost all of them disabled on my phone and watch, so it's not a big deal for me.

Everyone I know who buys actual watches spends a hell of a lot more on watches than they say they do. They eat more than batteries and they aren't anywhere near as durable as half the smartwatches are.

Fine example is a friend who just spends 2x S10's every 3 years on servicing his 3x S10 priced watch.

Even a fairly decent one you'll be lucky to get 10-15 years out of.

If you just want a watch and are really worried about the pricing, get a Casio F-91W and throw it away when the battery goes flat or the strap falls to bits and get another one. You'll be up on anything else financially when you drop dead.

My nice watch is a 22ish year old Fossil Aritekt, and it only needs a new battery every 2-3 years and still works perfectly....but yes, watch people (which I am not) spend a ton of money.

 

[SFjohn]

I'd like to see how e-waste companies recycle these. Do they just crush them and then somehow sort out the salvegable materials? Or are they even recyclable?

Apple will recycle everything in them. I always send my old tech to Apple to recycle. If you’re throwing them into a landfill that’s on you, not Apple. 👍🏻

 

[Tevosn]

I got a pair of pro 1, 2 and 3 now. All working fine for hopefully a very long time still.
I had problems with audio on pods pro 3 on calls being really bad and not being able to adjust volume, sound so loud on lowest level it hurts my ears. Probably software, as a reset have helped, but I had the problem more than once so kinda problematic.

 

[StanleyOmar]

I got four years out of my first gen AirPod Pro’s taking them in under AppleCare at month 23 but didn’t have to pay anything because the batteries were degraded enough to qualify for replacement.

I understand why these are not repairable, people decide when they purchase them whether the convenience trade off and features are worth it to them. I’d love if they lasted forever but that’s just not the case.

I’m hopeful the 3s last longer since they have better battery life and should show degradation slower.

Given the possibility of trading them in with Apple Care, I don't know if I'd want the battery to last 30 months instead of 23 if that means they're no longer accepted for replacement before Apple Care expires. But like so many other rechargeable devices, it really is a shame the battery can't just be replaced, because there's generally nothing else wrong with the Airpods after two years besides the battery.

 

[aParkerMusic]

80%. BOM is $51. The margin has probably improved now due to even higher economies of scale. It's a really outstanding source of recurring revenue for Apple.

https://electronics360.globalspec.com/article/14978/teardown-apple-airpods-pro-with-charging-case

I feel like it’s easy to mischaracterize this. The BOM doesn’t account for expenses incurred for operating the teams responsible, R&D, and whatnot. New technologies and specifications don’t just magically appear. They spend money to develop new products, and that cost is also integrated into the sale price of the product. Apple makes great margins (and if their products are desirable enough to actually achieve that, great job), but everything over the BOM doesn’t equate with profit.

 

[CapitalIdea]

What will Mother Nature say??? Ah, but that was another year's virtue signalling. Eco friendly is why you don't get a charger in your 2K iphone box, honest!

You CAN simply turn them in to recycle at Apple, Best Buy, and even most municipalities of size. Not sure why people think you must (or even should) just throw them in the garbage when the better options require minimal effort.

 

[cocky jeremy]

Has anyone ever guessed at the margin Apple has on these? I find it hard to imagine that they even cost Apple $20, but they charge over $200.

Yeah, so? That's the point. Make something and sell it for far more than it costs you.

 

[JosephAW]

When the stems were longer, it would’ve been convenient to have removable stems with built in batteries but usually after three years audio quality is deteriorating anyway

 

[decypher44]

...but yes, watch people (which I am not) spend a ton of money.

Can confirm

 

[1rottenapple]

I mean...isn't that everything.

Right. Recycling in the USA isn't even seriously considered. We have recycling containers at home for sure but most of what ends up in recycling cannisters can't be recycled. Alas that's why we literally ship our garbage to other countries.

 

[noraa]

I honestly don't know how Apple could make any of their AirPods repairable and still maintain their form factor and IP rating. I have seen other earbuds with replaceable batteries, but they are significantly bigger and heavier.

With that being said, the charging case could definitely be redesigned to make changing the battery possible. I don't even think it would add much bulk to so.

 

[mdriftmeyer]

Has anyone ever guessed at the margin Apple has on these? I find it hard to imagine that they even cost Apple $20, but they charge over $200.

You're paying also for the R&D and labor development, testing, etc. Not just assembly.

 

[CoMoMacUser]

Everyone I know who buys actual watches spends a hell of a lot more on watches than they say they do. They eat more than batteries and they aren't anywhere near as durable as half the smartwatches are.

I think I paid about $500 on sale for my Bulova. That was around 2007, and it's still going strong. Same for my wife's Bulova purchased a few years later.

I bought a Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 in 2020 for about $200. It died about a year ago. It was a fun experiment, but I didn't see much value in the smart watch concept. For example, I don't need or want to track my pulse or sleep, and my iPhone tracks my steps close enough.

YMMV.

 

[Tdude96]

Repairability adds bulk. Apple isn't doing this to make money on replacements. They're doing it to improve water resistance, and have more space for battery and other components.

While the APP3 excel in sound quality and features, the reduced case battery capacity is a notable step backward in my experience.

Yeah, the reduced case battery capacity bothers me a lot. They made the case noticeably bigger than APP2. And apparently they even removed some magnets according to this article. But they gave the case less battery capacity. It makes no sense to me. I could go 5, sometimes even 6 days without recharging my APP2 case, but it's every 3 days with APP3.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I am not concerned about iFixit scores. If I have a problem with the APP3, I will use my AC+.

 

[CoMoMacUser]

Apple will recycle everything in them. I always send my old tech to Apple to recycle. If you’re throwing them into a landfill that’s on you, not Apple. 👍🏻

Do we know that Apple actually recycles watches?

I traded in my 11PM with Apple. A phone is easier to recycle, but considering its age, I'm sure they refurbished it and sold it.

 

[springsup]

Very much expected this outcome. Airpods are basically consumable devices and once the battery runs out it's time for the next set.

So, e-waste

 

[JoeG4]

What will Mother Nature say??? Ah, but that was another year's virtue signalling. Eco friendly is why you don't get a charger in your 2K iphone box, honest!

Apple does have free mail-in recycling for airpods. I have my doubts on whether the company they hire (EIR?) properly actually tears stuff down to recycle it properly, but it's a thing.

The catch here is you can recycle the components easily enough, it's just that the plastic casing gets ruined in the process.

Of course that means you miss the "Reuse" part of recycling lol.

 

[alchemistmuffin]

There's no way to attempt a battery repair without causing blemishes on the plastic of the earbuds and the casing, because they have to be pried open. Heat needs to be used to melt the adhesive, and there's no easy way to disconnect the flex cable that's inside each earbud.

There is no way to replace the battery period. Even at Apple Store, they just replace the AirPods with brand new ones if battery goes dead. The AirPods with dead battery gets recycled, they don’t even salvage for parts.

 

[splam]

For those of you worried about filling landfills, you can recycle your Apple devices at Apple Stores.

Recycling

We’ll help you recycle your device. It’s free, easy, and good for the planet.

www.apple.com

 

[Sorig]

Repairability adds bulk. Apple isn't doing this to make money on replacements. They're doing it to improve water resistance, and have more space for battery and other components.

Who is going diving with these? Also did you miss the part where APP3 have shorter battery life than APP2?

 

[jecowa]

Every model of AirPods ever has a repairability score of 0.

 

[FasterQuieter]

They also feel cheap compared to the 2s, I get frequent audio distortions, they often refuse to jump between devices and the case is all fat and chunky. Really pleased I upgraded!

 

[CoMoMacUser]

Who is going diving with these?

No one. The resistance is against rain and sweat.

 

[krbrock1]

at least "planned obsolescence" is going to...plan...