Don't forget the MagSafe port on each AirPod!
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They are doing more than most companies. Do you complain more about all the other companies who aren't doing anything, or just single out Apple?
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AirPods Pro Teardown: Heavier Than Original AirPods, Different Battery, Same Zero Repairability Score
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Such a good point - now I feel stupid wanting to buy these earphones.
and ADB support!
This right here... I nearly bought some Pros yesterday, but then realised the battery will die in a few years (at most). I have decided to go for wired Shure SE's which should last many years and they have replaceable parts.
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Try a different pocket then... You use case is not common. As a DJ I've never had my pockets wear a cable thin, to breaking point...?
First let me address the claim that Apple is being hypocritical when they tout themselves to be environmentally friendly but produce AirPods, an arguably un-environmentally friendly product. I would call Apple short sighted, not hypocritical. Apple believes that people will bring back their old AirPods to either Apple or a third party company in order to properly recycle them. However, a great many consumers will likely toss their defunct AirPods in the nearest trash bin. In some regard, this places the burden of environmental stewardship on consumers. While not wrong in its own right, Apple can do better.
What I wonder in all this is, how is there not already an open letter to Apple with hundreds of thousands of consumers signed on, demanding that Apple create more environmentally and consumer friendly AirPods that have the ability to have the battery replaced? If this exists, please point us all in the correct direction. If not, I may just write one up. Another potential solution to the shortcomings of Apples thinking that people will recycle — make part of the price a deposit that can be refunded when someone brings in their AirPods for recycling. This is a solvable problem. I think Apple just needs a bit of a fire under their butt in order to get the ball rolling.
What I wonder in all this is, how is there not already an open letter to Apple with hundreds of thousands of consumers signed on, demanding that Apple create more environmentally and consumer friendly AirPods that have the ability to have the battery replaced? If this exists, please point us all in the correct direction. If not, I may just write one up. Another potential solution to the shortcomings of Apples thinking that people will recycle — make part of the price a deposit that can be refunded when someone brings in their AirPods for recycling. This is a solvable problem. I think Apple just needs a bit of a fire under their butt in order to get the ball rolling.
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You forgot about HDMI, a 3.5mm aux jack, touchscreen, WiFi antenna, and a 120V charging port. And it must be small, light, and cheap dammit!! Tim Apple sucks!!
Edit: And foldable! AirPods need to be foldable, or it proves Apple can’t innovate! And they *still* need a high repairability score, because Lord knows we need to keep iFixIt happy!
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Apple Earpods, normal usage but almost every day. Hard for any cable to survive that for long imo.
Jesus, you can tell people have no idea what they are talking about. No understanding of scaling and manufacturing. No real understanding of Apple's approach to the manufacturing process and the pressure to power the entire supply chain from renewable energy. You think being able to replace a battery in AirPods is environmentally friendly?? I truly am terrified of our future with the world in the hands of people who major in Liberal Arts and trying to run the worlds economy.
I hope no one tells Mydel that iPhone's only last 5-6 years (unless he's still rocking his 2007 original model).
People who have the money to spend on these devices can afford to buy new ones when batteries die.
I don't think repairability is an issue here.
If you cannot afford to replace them, don't buy them.
I for one cannot afford to buy a pair so I stay and drool while others showcase them in public places)
i could afford to buy them, but won’t.
i believe if they were $500 people would still buy them.
I’d bet $249! they sound no better than my £40 wireless buds that have the same multiple touch controls with the exception of noise cancellation.
Mine lasted only 18 months. It’s a gen 1 airpods. I realize that it is not worth my money buying such disposable tech. Actually 18 months is a stretch already because the right pod fails after 5seconds of use after a little more than a year.
Or maybe I just care for the environment?
I'll never buy them because I'm not interested. My concern is the number of other people who will buy them and the ongoing environmental damage from the production cycle of replacements. It is well known that the way for products to have the least environmental impact is for them to be used for as long as possible, and this requires repairs.
Thats kind of debatable - the environmental impact of producing products usually is the most environmentally damaging part of the cycle.
And if consumers apparently are chucking replaced parts into landfill, aren't they just as likely to chuck their old AirPods into landfill when they buy new ones, thus having an even greater environmental impact.
From a customer's viewpoint, once the battery stops working, it is absolute nonsense to say that the AirPod needs replacing. The battery needs replacing, which costs half the price of an AirPod, and is free with AppleCare.
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I don't get people who worry about the environmental impact of throwing away a four gram AirPod when any laptop has about 250 times the weight, therefore 250 times the environmental impact.
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I don't get people who worry about the environmental impact of throwing away a four gram AirPod when any laptop has about 250 times the weight, therefore 250 times the environmental impact.
It literally says right there in the article that the Galaxy Buds have replaceable batteries.
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Spend the same price on a pair of Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, or Audio Technica wired headphones that the AirPods cost and I guarantee you they will last more than 2 years. On top of that, these companies sell user replaceable parts right on their website and offer extensive repair services for a fraction of Apple's "replacement" costs. Icing on the cake: they will sound dramatically better to boot.
Still like my wired QC25 with user-replaceable battery.
They aren't made any longer and I wonder if I can get replacements that aren't bluetooth or at least don't require some cloud-registration like Bose's latest.
Their latest "700" model is outrageously priced on top of that.
They aren't made any longer and I wonder if I can get replacements that aren't bluetooth or at least don't require some cloud-registration like Bose's latest.
Their latest "700" model is outrageously priced on top of that.
The batteries in your old Bose headphones are a lot heavier and throwing the old ones away has a lot more environmental impact than throwing away two AirPods (which you wouldn't do anyone, because Apple will replace the batteries).
Yep. There's probably a huge intersection of the above and people who reflexively decry Apple's use of renewable energy and solar power investments.
Only idiots throw away an AirPod because the battery stops working. Normal people go to the nearest Apple Store and have the battery replaced.
Oh yeah, because other wireless earbuds out there on the market are highly repairable....
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Show me other wireless earbuds that as compact as the EarPods that are highly repairable. And if they use recyclable materials.
No but you can change the battery as mentioned in the article in regards of the Samsung one. My AirPods last barely an hour after nearly 2 years so they are basically going to the trash now instead of just getting the batteries replaced
Or just put the headphone jack back on the devices and let headphone companies take over in the sound arena. My biggest gripe is that when Apple starts doing some of this lame stuff the Android / PC phone and computer companies start doing the same thing. Hopefully, Apple's directions with their sound offerings won't have similar affects on speaker/headphone companies such as Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, and Bose.
Never said that so don’t put words in my mouth.
Curious, when a hard drive fails in your computer, what do you do? They are not repairable. Why aren’t people complaining about the millions of hard drives, video cards, CPUs, GPUs, motherboards, mice, keyboards or power supplies in modern PCs that never get fixed when they quit?
Do you fix household appliances like toasters, blenders, microwave ovens and the like when they stop? Nobody does, because it’s cheaper to simply buy a new one when they quit.
So people complaining about AirPods or iPhones being environmentally unfriendly are nothing short of massive hypocrites.
Here's one:Oh yeah, because other wireless earbuds out there on the market are highly repairable....
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Show me other wireless earbuds that as compact as the EarPods that are highly repairable. And if they use recyclable materials.
Samsung Galaxy Buds Teardown
www.ifixit.com
It is possible, but Apple would prefer that you buy new replacements rather than repair your old equipment. This is true for almost all Apple products these days.
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That has not been my experience with my wired headphones. Of course, it requires that one be careful in protecting them - store them carefully without crimping the wires, etc. In-ear headphones are less durable, being subject to body perspiration and generally are less robust than over-ear headphones. My Sennheiser and Beyerdynamic wired over-ear headphones are quite reparable, and generally have easily replaceable wires and ear covers. I've never had issues with the speakers themselves, and of course, batteries are a non-issue with wired headphones.
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