Apple Debuts Wireless 'AirPods' With 5 Hours of Music Playback

[Michael Scrip]

But I don't have to do that with wired headphone.

But you do get wires that get tangled.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Pretty sure he didn't. He said "stylus", not "dongle"

I stand corrected. Thanks.

Dongles for everyone!

 

[dampfnudel]

They stick out because the extended pieces are directional microphones.

I know but when I see it, earrings comes to mind. Maybe Apple will add a black edition so they're not as visible or something.

 

[Crzyrio]

So these wont work with other Bluetooth devices?

 

[Feenician]

I know but when I see it, earrings comes to mind. Maybe Apple will release the AirPods in black so they're not as visible or something.

I'd like them in a different color too, black ideally. Neither my iPhone or my headphones are a fashion accessory though, so I'm not that concerned.

 

[Born Again]

They stick out because the extended pieces are directional microphones.

they really made the design ugly. it's like one has two bluetooth ear pieces. remember how obnoxious those were?

 

[quickcalibre]

Well I always wanted wireless headphones.

But... these look like earrings.

Surely anyone who wears these is gonna be a joke to other people when out in public. :-/

 

[Feenician]

So these wont work with other Bluetooth devices?

Hard to say. Even if they do at the outset I'm betting it won't be too long before drivers come along for them.

 

[appahappa]

Bull ****.

Second: If I go to a field trip, 5 hours play back is too short. I still remember people mocking Samsung when they released their Bluetooth headphone.

Which has a battery life of 1,5 hours. But still you're right 5h isn't good enough.

 

[RealMonster]

Can anyone confirm that these are built on Bluetooth? Apple seems to be deliberately confusing about this on their site. If it's just over bluetooth, I feel like it doesn't really fix anything. The bluetooth radios that are in phones are a bigger problem than anything. If I press my phone against the flat of my lower back, it completely blocks the signal to my headphones. (This is a common place for my phone to be--my cycling jersey pockets are against my lower back. As soon as they get even slightly sweaty, the signal dies.)

 

[SgtPepper12]

5 hours at what volume? If I were to guess companies usually quote best case so it's 5 hours at lower volume. At higher volume it could be less than 5 hours.

By far most of the energy is consumed by data transmission and decoding, the actual drivers don't really consume that much energy. It all depends on the drivers, chips and battery used, but usually those tiny drivers have a power usage on the order of 10 mW. I'd guess the battery should have a capacity of about 100, 200 mAh, so you end up with <10% of the total battery life that goes into the driver. It's not a big deal. Maybe you lose a few minutes with higher volume, but it's not like it's just half or something like that. That is impossible.

 

[dampfnudel]

they really made the design ugly. it's like one has two bluetooth ear pieces. remember how obnoxious those were?

Exactly. These days I rarely see people with Bluetooth earpieces and now Apple wants you to wear two of them, looking like some weird, definitely first gen, tech earrings. From a visual, stylish perspective, definitely not the best effort from Apple.

 

[LovingTeddy]

So used the wired headphones. What is the problem?

But there is no 3.5mm... Lightning is not option.

 

[Feenician]

But there is no 3.5mm... Lightning is not option.

There's a 3.5mm to lightning adapter in the box

 

[vikingjunior]

Did I miss something, where is the volume button?

 

[Rob_2811]

They look ridiculous

 

[Feenician]

Did I miss something, where is the volume button?

Looks like you use the phone or ask siri to change it.

 

[SMIDG3T]

Apple should add these to Find my iPhone...

 

[iLunar]

These look cool. I'm glad Apple is pushing the wireless headphone industry forward.

They don't work with Apple TV, which seems like a strange omission.

 

[InAustralia]

Would you be able to listen just using one of the airpods in your ear? I often listen whilst in the car using just one earpiece so I can still hear the traffic.

I know I can use Bluetooth through the car speakers, but often the rest of the family are listening to something else while I listen to my iPhone through my headphones.

Answer to my own question. Per Slashgear, "Yes, you can listen to music or make calls with just one bud in place, but that's not much consolation when you've lost half of your $159 purchase." http://www.slashgear.com/apple-airpods-hands-on-07455233/

 

[SMIDG3T]

The automatic pairing looks nice, and I like the small storage case. But no sound insulation or active noise cancellation make them useless on airplanes and in other noisy environments. 5 hours runtime isn't great either. Disappointing.

5 hours isn't great but charging them for 15 minutes to get 3 hours of battery life, is.

 

[Rocketman]

It probably goes without saying, but it was not said. Are the lightning EarPods and wired ear plugs compatible with prior lightning equipped iPhones, and down to what OS level for late adopters?

 

[a.gomez]

so that stick hangs out your ear?
5hrs battery life, this is a classic "wait till gen2"

 

[Feenician]

It probably goes without saying, but it was not said. Are the lightning EarPods and wired ear plugs compatible with prior lightning equipped iPhones, and down to what OS level for late adopters?

They're compatible with anything with a lightning port afaik. Lightning audio isn't new.

 

[fltman]

Anyone who have ever experienced an earbud to fall out? There is going to be a new market for those glasses straps. AirPods straps.