AirPods Teardown Reveals Charging Case May Have Been Cause of Delay

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Comment about longevity did not have that much to do with relative quality. In my own experience, earbuds- wireless or wired- seem to wear out/conk out/fail in just a couple of years at most. I've owned premium brands and- inevitably- at least one "side" stops working around that 2-3 year point in time.

Similarly, greater range isn't the only enticement of Bluetooth 5 vs. 4. Many will just assume a bigger number is better and covet "Airpods 2, now with Bluetooth 5" much as we burn to upgrade from iPhone X to iPhone Xs or X+1. One might argue you don't need a slightly faster AX processor and a slightly thinner case as rationale against buying a new iPhone but how often do we readily accept that kind of logic? Latest & greatest- even if barely more than a number increment- is a strong enticement for many... and/or having the lower-numbered, prior generation is sometimes viewed- or only perceived- as being behind or inferior by the crowd around here.

Your original question was basically about longevity (be that battery life or buds themselves) and my answer was basically, "no you don't replace the battery, you just buy new buds." Welcome to the modern Apple where even $2K+ stuff is increasingly "serviced" by just throwing it out and buying new. And by the way, I don't like it any better than (I presume) you.

 

[Rajani Isa]

I'll start.
Fire Tim! I'm not paying 160 for obese ear buds! I'm buying a Samsung

I hear the sounds is a blast in those...

And me in a broken-down horse farm....

Wouldn't Apple try to use vegan glue? (either kind)

iFixit didn't suggest the above issue was the reason for the delay. MR did. iFixit asked a question.
[from the actual teardown]
"Our X-ray imagery shows some quality issues in this chip's solder joints. Empty spaces, known as voiding, could be evidence of low quality standards, or a rushed product release. Could issues with the AirPod case be what delayed release?"

MR said: "This suggests that the source of the AirPods' delay was with the charging case and not with the AirPods. "
That's the speculation you're referencing. Issue #3

All MR did was take their question and rephrase it as a suggestion, essentially. That question didn't even veil it's implication that the case was the cause of delay.

Are you crazy? Wow! One sided much aren't you. iFixIt had given some Apple products great reviews between 7/10 - 9/10. Bias? They're the most objective tech teardown I believe in. Nothing is sugar coated with them and they have helped me repair several devices in the past.

They do have a bias - and a strong one - however. That everything should be fixable by the home user. And at this point they get quite caustic sounding when something isn't an easy at-home fix. Such as their comment about winning the cramming and gluing game. The tone didn't even begin to consider - as others have - that maybe the glue served multiple purposes and not simply adhesion. If they simply said instead "Not surprisingly, low/no repairablity" and moved on, it wouldn't garner much attention.

 

[jeyf]

you have to ask your self if apple went to a two year development cycle could they make innovation totally disappear and quality be halved

at some point it is just not worth it

 

[NT1440]

at some point you have to ask your self if apple went to a two year development cycle could they make innovation totally disappear and quality be halved

at some point it is just not worth it

These have been in development for over three years.....

 

[69Mustang]

All MR did was take their question and rephrase it as a suggestion, essentially. That question didn't even veil it's implication that the case was the cause of delay.

That's not true at all. MR most definitely didn't rephrase the question. You're assuming they did.

iFixit: "Could this be the cause of the delay?" Full stop. Nothing in that question implies causation. It definitely doesn't suggest it. You're assuming it does.

MR: "iFixit took a few x-ray shots of the charging case's internals, and found "quality issues" within the chip's solder joints. A few empty spaces can be seen, referred to as "voiding," which iFixit said "could be evidence of low quality standards, or a rushed product release." This suggests that the source of the AirPods' delay was with the charging case and not with the AirPods."

So MR took 1. x-ray found voiding and added 2. could be evidence of low standards or rushed product release and leaped to the conclusion that This suggests that the source of the AirPods' delay was with the charging case and not with the AirPods. <-- adding 1 & 2 together doesn't suggest that at all.

There's no rephrasing anywhere. It's a leap in logic not supported by evidence. No one reading that article would have any idea of iFixit's question. MR's article doesn't even mention iFixit's question. I introduced that little tidbit.

 

[lopan66]

Shocking, absolutely shocking. Well not really. I used to be Apple fanboy. Not anymore. Expensive crap. With glue.

 

[selfsilent]

I'm pretty sure that Apple already said that they postponed the release as there was an issue of the music not syncing on both sides. A rare issue but an issue none the less.

 

[Scarpad]

I wonder if using these in a really hot environment and exercising will cause any glue melt ?

 

[JDW]

Being completely wrapped up in the case....what forces will these solder points possibly be under that could even begin to factor in shear strength? Thermal from charging the battery is not even worth talking about. The only possible force that could be applied on theses voided joints would be from a drop.

Never underestimate the power of "a drop." It's not just for testing the strength of display glass either. Drop and vibration tests help determine product durability. One could ASSUME that Apple has done this. However, if you Google for Apple product repair videos on YouTube, you will find people who professional repair Apple products for a living, and what they have to say about durability due to "common use stresses" (including shear stress) is not encouraging.

Keep in mind I say this as a lover of Apple products and an Apple products user since 1984.

 

[Abazigal]

Keep in mind I say this as a lover of Apple products and an Apple products user since 1984.

I am not sure that stands for much these days, especially when the bulk of criticism and vitriol you see on the forums these days comes from those self-styled Apple fanboys.

 

[JDW]

I am not sure that stands for much these days, especially when the bulk of criticism and vitriol you see on the forums these days comes from those self-styled Apple fanboys.

I believe the definition of a true "fanboy" means more than just having used Apple devices for a long time. It also means they live in their own little universe in thinking that Apple never fails. Those types used to assemble in the AppleInsider forums and click the Dislike button on any post that wasn't pro-Apple. But now that AppleInsider has followed MacRumors lead in eliminating that hateful button, I believe things will change for the better there too.

All said, I love Apple enough to give them constructive criticism when such is due.

Just don't drop your AirPods onto a hard surface and the solder voiding issue probably won't present a problem.

Best wishes!

 

[NT1440]

Never underestimate the power of "a drop." It's not just for testing the strength of display glass either. Drop and vibration tests help determine product durability. One could ASSUME that Apple has done this. However, if you Google for Apple product repair videos on YouTube, you will find people who professional repair Apple products for a living, and what they have to say about durability due to "common use stresses" (including shear stress) is not encouraging.

Keep in mind I say this as a lover of Apple products and an Apple products user since 1984.

Yes, dropping can break the solder connections, but the problem is the drop itself to begin with.

 

[ChrisHimself]

Now? You say that like it's a recent change. They have been "running for profit" for 35 years.

Now? You say that like it's a recent change. They have been "running for profit" for 35 years.

Exactly. I don’t remember Apple ever being in the business because it was the honest to goodness right thing to do for humanity. They exist to make money and that’s fine. What something is worth is relative though.

 

[Bacillus]

Eager to see how this kind of fixed-in-glue technology will comply with their "100% recycleable" target in the coming years. To be frank: I don't see any alternative for this miniature appliance, but it certainly goes for MacBooks, Macs and larger products...

 

[ChrisHimself]

Eager to see how this kind of fixed-in-glue technology will comply with their "100% recycleable" target in the coming years. To be frank: I don't see any alternative for this miniature appliance, but it certainly goes for MacBooks, Macs and larger products...

Recycled Horses??!

 

[Costino1]

We should do a Drinking Game every time someone comments those.

I passed away