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$250... LOL! Apple just keeps pushing that price boundary to the outer limits of ridiculous. And the Apple diehards will pay it, because Apple says the product is magical and so unique. So now we have Air Pods that are approaching the cost of an iPad. Alrighty. Heck, they say ‘Pro’ so that means they’re worth it, right?

Until next year when the next awesome, magical Air Pods are introduced, and those will be even more magical and amazing. $300, they’ll come in green. But green will cost you $350. But they’re magical.
What’s magical is your frustration at a company that knows how to be profitable
 
$250... LOL! Apple just keeps pushing that price boundary to the outer limits of ridiculous. And the Apple diehards will pay it, because Apple says the product is magical and so unique. So now we have Air Pods that are approaching the cost of an iPad. Alrighty. Heck, they say ‘Pro’ so that means they’re worth it, right?

Until next year when the next awesome, magical Air Pods are introduced, and those will be even more magical and amazing. $300, they’ll come in green. But green will cost you $350. But they’re magical.
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Ahaha Apple has trained you well.
The tech in this is pretty incredible. Go buy some wired earbuds with noice cancellation if you can’t afford or want to pay for this. My old AirPods 1st gen lasted me from launch to now. I definitely got my $200 use out of them
 
I personally have disabled the adaptive audio on my WF/XM3's (and the 1000X before them) because it usually changes the NR when I don't want it to, and it interrupts the audio stream while it resets. Very annoying.

It's much better to just tap the left unit to open to ambient sound when needed- which is how the Apple units will work.

If (big if, of course) the Apple units have comparable SQ, the easier connectivity with my Apple devices will be appreciated. The much smaller case will also be an improvement.

If the SQ isn't quite up to that of the Sony, they will still have their place for applications where the Sony would be at risk- anything involving sweat or rain. The Sony, after all, has zero water resistance.

Excellent take!!

Personally I find the WF's never worked with a 'tap' for Ambient/Noise Cancelling working perfectly (other then tap & hold). The functions seem VERY similar to what Apple AirPod Pro's proclaim. Yes I'll purchase 2 ... one for me one for me son ... and during Xmas maybe one for an old flame just because we have special kind of thing going on.

On the real the audio quality of these AirPod Pro's MUST live up to the WF/XM3's ... the benefits would have Apple win out with sweat/splash resistance + iCloud pairing: iPhone, iMac, AppleTV4 ...

Let's see what Apple can do in 2020 with proper over-ear high-end Studio headphones: expected 549.99 sweet spot for those.
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Wait a minute ... 35 pages and NOBODY noticed the inclusion of Force-Touch yet Apple illuminates 3D Touch in iPhone 11? Grrrr!
 
And?

The prior Airpods are $199, so $50 difference. And they DID add tech. Different sealed design, active noise cancellation, official IP rating (water resistant) etc.

Just because YOU dont like them doesnt mean they arent worth the $50 extra to many.

You're assuming the prior models were worth $199... they weren't. And there's no way these "Pro" versions are worth their asking price.
 
You're assuming the prior models were worth $199... they weren't. And there's no way these "Pro" versions are worth their asking price.

I've had the same thoughts..

I have very much enjoyed my Airpods gen 1, but they were overpriced new and all versions of them are overpriced still.

People are way too easily getting conditioned by Apple on pricing lately.

Too many are so ready to quickly defend seemingly every asking price Apple comes up with across all product lines.

It makes me wonder just how far they could push this if they wanted to.
Maybe we're on the way to finding out?
 
You're assuming the prior models were worth $199... they weren't. And there's no way these "Pro" versions are worth their asking price.

No kidding. I didn’t pay anything near 199. 120 or so. These new ones are double the price. Funny to see how users are so gullible. These new ones will be marked down soon enough.
 
Anyone have a clue how these would compare up to Jabra? Like wth... I had my mind all set on Jabra 75T releasing on the 30th. Suddenly Apple pulls a sudden launch. AirPod Pro or 75T? This is a friggin dilemma... I know cost is a difference here... But commonnn.... 😟
 
$250... LOL! Apple just keeps pushing that price boundary to the outer limits of ridiculous. And the Apple diehards will pay it, because Apple says the product is magical and so unique. So now we have Air Pods that are approaching the cost of an iPad. Alrighty. Heck, they say ‘Pro’ so that means they’re worth it, right?

Until next year when the next awesome, magical Air Pods are introduced, and those will be even more magical and amazing. $300, they’ll come in green. But green will cost you $350. But they’re magical.
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Ahaha Apple has trained you well.
Bose Soundsports are $200.
Jaybirds Vistas $200.
Jabra Elite Active 65T $189.

that $50-$60 apple tax is just killing me. Especially when I think of how seamlessly my Apple devices work together.
 
Anyone have a clue how these would compare up to Jabra? Like wth... I had my mind all set on Jabra 75T releasing on the 30th. Suddenly Apple pulls a sudden launch. AirPod Pro or 75T? This is a friggin dilemma... I know cost is a difference here... But commonnn.... 😟

Apple sound products have historically sounded like products worth half their price - see AirPods which sound like garbage.

I think the AirPods Pro will sound like a $50 pair of Sony in-ears.
 
No kidding. I didn’t pay anything near 199. 120 or so. These new ones are double the price. Funny to see how users are so gullible. These new ones will be marked down soon enough.

it’s not so much “gullible” insomuch as “product offers a lot of value to me so I will pay a premium”.

I love the AirPods but they skip out of my ears quite often and frequently music pauses when this happens.

if this product fixes that issue then that alone will nearly be worth the price premium.

if they also sound better and have more functionality then that would be the icing on the cake.
 
Apple sound products have historically sounded like products worth half their price - see AirPods which sound like garbage.

I think the AirPods Pro will sound like a $50 pair of Sony in-ears.

LOL... I have never experienced them even though my significant other has a pair. I thought they would sound at least on par with the current 65t. I slided away from Sennheiser MTW cuz they're a wallet hole burner, not like Apple is any better right now, but its still a small gap. Wow... Okay... Now that really slides me away from them :/
 
$250 for (admittedly high-tech and groovy) headphones.

The price of a PS4. A car payment. Depending on your family size, 2 weeks' worth of groceries.

THIS RIGHT HERE is why Apple removed the headphone jack from their phones.

Not innovation (although these are innovative).

Not for lack of space.

And DEFINITELY not for "pushing technology forward".

But in hindsight, I have to give them props:

I was wrong. They really did have "courage". The courage take prices into the stratosphere with a straight face.

And I was wrong about Tim Cook too.

He is a legitimate genius. He IS doing an incredible job.

The Profit Prophet. The Financial Fiddler. The 1-Percenter Pied Piper.

And it burns 'cause I'm the mouse in the mousetrap. Desperately wanting to get away, but unable to resist the cheese 'cause it's so DAMN delicious.

I wonder if we’d all still complain if Apple decided to take some of the iPhone 11 Pro precedent to the extreme and stopped including/producing EarPods, stickers and Lighting to 3.5mm adaptors in iDevices to absorb the engineering and development costs associated with the AirPods Pro? Component costs aren’t everything...

Let’s be honest with ourselves—anything above and beyond EarPods is a luxury and not a necessity. If you think they’re too expensive (because we’re all experts in what goes in to making tiny noise cancelling headphones), don’t buy them. If you want them and can’t afford them, re-prioritize what you spend money on and you’ll probably realize you don’t actually need them—since nobody actually needs them.

Sure, the world isn’t fair, but neither Tim Cook nor Apple are trying to bring you down. They removed the headphone jack, and included an adaptor while updating the connector on the freebie headphones. Like any company, they introduced a product to give their customers more options, but they didn’t alienate anyone. It’s not their responsibility to subsidize nice-to-have items just because they might be out of your reach.

Jesus Christ. Moan moan moan. You sound like you want them but can’t justify the price.

Competitor products have similar pricing.
If you can’t afford them or justify the cost then pass on it but Christ..... so much drama.

I took my family to a relatively affordable restaurant Saturday. Three entrees, one beer, soft drinks and a kid’s meal. $96 with tip. Could have gone to McDonald’s and fed everyone for $12 off the dollar menu but don’t hate myself that much.

I don’t understand it either. For all of the complaining about the price or why they took the headphone jack out, there’s a lot less commentary about the low-cost/free EarPods that come in every iPhone box.

Your McDonald’s analogy is pretty appropriate; no one is denying that you get what you pay for, but nobody is forcing you to choose. Plus, to my knowledge, EarPods have never negatively affected someone’s else as much as fast food.
 
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I‘m always amused by people who are so judgmental as if it’s any of their business how other people spend their money.

Just because you think something is too expensive doesn’t mean it’s overpriced it just means it’s too expensive for you.

Bingo. I have commented that the price is too salty for me (just now), but that doesn't mean I think they are bad value, just that it's more than I would like to spend at the moment.

What an entitlement culture we live in when frankly incredible miniaturised technology (made by anyone) is available to us, and people turn their nose up at it as though it's some cheapo Christmas cracker toy being sold for $250. People have short memories. Not many years ago stuff like this would have been seen as alien tech from a Will Smith movie, and now we are dismissing it as too expensive. Nowt as queer as folk 😳
 
I've had the same thoughts..

I have very much enjoyed my Airpods gen 1, but they were overpriced new and all versions of them are overpriced still.

People are way too easily getting conditioned by Apple on pricing lately.

Too many are so ready to quickly defend seemingly every asking price Apple comes up with across all product lines.

It makes me wonder just how far they could push this if they wanted to.
Maybe we're on the way to finding out?

This is a recurring theme here and I’m genuinely interested in your thoughts. In your opinion, what makes these products over priced? Do you plan to continue to buy new (just released or discounted due to update) Apple products? Is there something you recently purchased that you felt was overpriced but bought it anyways?
 
I am definitely trying to get them on day one, but that said, I must say I remain highly annoyed with the media coverage of Air Pods (and Apple's marketing) for not even addressing the actual audio quality of these things. When the Air Pod's 2 update came earlier this year it was the same thing. NEW FEATURES. Yet almost no mention of the actual audio fidelity improvements (if there even are any?). With the Pro's, I realize they are touting this adaptive EQ, but that's software. I want to know about drivers. Sonic range. Frequency response. It's entirely bewildering to me that Apple has seemingly changed the narrative on a product that should first and foremost sell on it's actual audio quality. And it bugs me because they don't need to sell me on the convenience or other features. I own Shure SE 535's ($500+ in ear's) and I barely use them because the Air Pod's are that much more convenient. All I really want from Apple is an audio upgrade. I hope the Air Pod Pro's are it, but good god can someone actually make this a point of conversation? (looking at you Mac.rumors)
 
Nice. And they’ll be dead in 2 years because the lithium batteries have cycled out.
This talking point is moot if you consider and purchase Apple care @29+ this covers one free battery replacement And I believe it’s good for two years? Someone can correct me. If you’re spending 249$, 29 more dollars is not bad for something that can add 2 more years of use
 
Bingo. I have commented that the price is too salty for me (just now), but that doesn't mean I think they are bad value, just that it's more than I would like to spend at the moment.

What an entitlement culture we live in when frankly incredible miniaturised technology (made by anyone) is available to us, and people turn their nose up at it as though it's some cheapo Christmas cracker toy being sold for $250. People have short memories. Not many years ago stuff like this would have been seen as alien tech from a Will Smith movie, and now we are dismissing it as too expensive. Nowt as queer as folk 😳

Exactly! It seems to be that folks are jealous about the haves and have-nots on the internet. As if 98% of us on the forum (to include myself) understand how we can set up a pair of AirPods on one device and it appears on the rest of the devices for use with just a tap? Or how Sony and Apple have shrunk what used to only be available in $350+ Bose over the ear headphones into the form factors that are out now?

I can’t imagine anyone who complains about the price of the AirPods Pro was going to shell out the cash for a decent pair of ANC headphones made by any company—let alone a tiny version.
 
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