In central London, I'm seeing more and more people with them every day. I have no doubt that the demand is real and that Apple are not artificially creating any shortage. Even if they were, they'd only do it for a little while, not for seven months. They really are the best thing Apple has produced in a while and a much needed product in general. I for one have always wanted the EarPods to be fully wireless since I first saw them and no doubt Apple knew they were going to make them so since their R&D phase back in 2009. They've been very long in the making. I'm someone who doesn't really listen to music but makes a lot of calls and spends a long time on the phone in general, I hate silicon tipped earphones even for music. Plus the EarPods fit me great and even with swaying wires have always been snug for me. Making them totally wireless and independent is just perfect. Its a dream product and this is why I can tell that the massive demand is legitimate.
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Apple Increased AirPods Production Capacity, But Still Unable to Meet Demand
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I finally got my AirPods about a month ago just by happenstance. I went to the Apple Store to look at the new iPads and asked if they had any (as I had since December), fully expecting them to say no, I was astonished to hear they had one pair in stock. Right time, right place.
I do think it's pretty ridiculous that Apple hasn't been able to produce more of them. I understand limited supplies at release, but it's been almost a year since they were first announced and it's still a six week wait.
Fit: Mine have never fallen out of my ears. Having said that, I still wear my over ear Bluetooth headphones on the treadmill, but I wear AirPods on walks.
Sound Quality: Fantastic! I think they sound much better than my wired EarPods. I admit that I don't have the sensitivity that many people on this board seem to have (who knew the entire world's supply of sound aficionados hang out on MacRumors?).
Look: I don't see how they 'look ridiculous'. Seriously - what is so ridiculous?? They're headphones.
The ONLY complaint I have is that I notice that voice-to-text dictation accuracy decreases vs. talking to my phone directly.
I do think it's pretty ridiculous that Apple hasn't been able to produce more of them. I understand limited supplies at release, but it's been almost a year since they were first announced and it's still a six week wait.
Fit: Mine have never fallen out of my ears. Having said that, I still wear my over ear Bluetooth headphones on the treadmill, but I wear AirPods on walks.
Sound Quality: Fantastic! I think they sound much better than my wired EarPods. I admit that I don't have the sensitivity that many people on this board seem to have (who knew the entire world's supply of sound aficionados hang out on MacRumors?).
Look: I don't see how they 'look ridiculous'. Seriously - what is so ridiculous?? They're headphones.
The ONLY complaint I have is that I notice that voice-to-text dictation accuracy decreases vs. talking to my phone directly.
I have 4 things to say about the AirPods:
- Functionality over form
While there is no doubt they look VERY goofy (come on gentlemen, they just do), but they are simply amazing: they fit your ear tightly and comfortable, and they dont fall out even while jogging. Audio is crisp and loud, and distance range is more than anyone would need. Really amazing piece of tech, no doubt about it!
- Battery is not full day
At 5 hours, they never make it through my day. That means that you have to carry along the case wherever you go, which is another thing stuffing up your pocket (along with your keys, phone, wallet, car keys, etc). I think they need to double up the battery life for the AirPod to truly become a home run. Hopefully v2.0 will address it.
- Expensive yet competitive
At $160, I find them expensive for what they are (just a pair of ear pods, for Pete's sake), but the truth is that there is nothing else in the market at this level of quality for any cheaper. Expensive? yes. Competitive? yes.
- Scarcity: real or fabricated?
There is no way in hell I believe that Apple is not artificially holding production back. It has been over half a year since they got released, yet they still cant figure out the logistics? I dont understand what the logics would be to not ramp up production to meet demand, but I am sure that Apple is voluntarily not opening up the tap at full speed for some reason.
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Or, more accurately, some people will buy anything with an Apple logo at any price and then come here to MacRumors and complain about how much they hate it, until they buy the next new Apple product and do it all over again.
Conversely, some people don't buy anything with an Apple logo at any price and still come here to complain. I suspect there are a few people in this thread that fit that description.
When they came out I thought they looked stupid and I would never buy them. Click forward a few months and I started going to the gym and my cheap $40 bluetooth headphones crapped out. I figured I would try them since they have a 14 day return policy and I wasn't going to lose if I took them back.
I use them at the gym, on 2.5 hour trail runs and while on my bike. They are truly amazing. I do use some $10 silicone wings to keep them in my ears tight. They stay in without them but it always feels like they want to pop out. With the silicone I never ever think about my ear buds I just have a great time exercising.
I've had them since early April. So far I have only seen two other pair out in the wild.
I use them at the gym, on 2.5 hour trail runs and while on my bike. They are truly amazing. I do use some $10 silicone wings to keep them in my ears tight. They stay in without them but it always feels like they want to pop out. With the silicone I never ever think about my ear buds I just have a great time exercising.
I've had them since early April. So far I have only seen two other pair out in the wild.
I genuinely like how they look. They're just EarPods without the long, gangly cables. But to be clear…
And compared to the competition, specifically Bragi's Dash, they aren't little rotund things that stick out from one's head; they're narrow stalks that run parallel to one's jaw:
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Contractual obligations, most likely.
The 6 week shipping time isn't even a case of "under promise and over deliver" like when the Apple Watch launched. I ordered mine 6 weeks ago tomorrow, and they arrived today.
I love them already, by the way.
They're not really supposed to make it though an entire day by themselves - they're purposefully designed to work in conjunction with the case.
Myself, I find this to be pretty great! I LOVE the idea that the case is a 24 hour charger. I was also surprised by how small the case was - I was expecting it to be the size of an iPad power brick!
I got a pair last March and by May, my dog literally ate the pair I left on the coffee table! $169 down the drain. I reserved another pair and just got it in early July. That's how hard it is to get!
I actually liked it VERY MUCH. The experience just brings me back to Apple's haydays where they take an existing product and just makes it a whole lot better.
In terms of users, I've spotted about 4 people wearing them, usually when I travel in airports or supermarkets.
I actually liked it VERY MUCH. The experience just brings me back to Apple's haydays where they take an existing product and just makes it a whole lot better.
In terms of users, I've spotted about 4 people wearing them, usually when I travel in airports or supermarkets.
Just couple weeks ago when it was mentioned here that retailers availability and ship it within 2 days or walk in to carrier store and get one. Only Apple stores claims that there's a supply constraints. Now obviously Cook will claim that these sells like a hotcake. I haven't really seen anybody using them in public not even people getting in and out the Apple store at the mall. I've seen more peole using the wired ones and the Beats headphone.
Well, 90% of the parts was not swallowed but mostly the outer casing was torn open.
Here is the aftermath. Excuse my emoji, it was a social media post.
Thanks for the GIFs!
I honestly don't care what they look like. If I'm sitting on the bus or eating in a diner... I really don't think my choice of headphones will be on other people's minds.
If anything... they're judging my choice in clothing.
They would be perfect if:
1) they had a soft tip, like the high-quality in-ear headphones Apple used to sell
2) they had somewhat better sound quality
3) color options would be nice
Looking forward to version 2.
1) they had a soft tip, like the high-quality in-ear headphones Apple used to sell
2) they had somewhat better sound quality
3) color options would be nice
Looking forward to version 2.
They are not DESIGNED to work in conjunction with the case. They are FORCED to work in conjunction with the case precisely because you cannot leave the case at home due to the 5-hour battery life.
I realize that battery technology is what it is, and the case is certainly pretty small and seamless (good job Apple!) but, non the less, the reality is that the case is yet another thing you MUST carry in your pocket when you leave the house, along with your home keys, car keys, phone, wallet, etc. I do not appreciate having to stuff up yet another item in my jeans pockets.
A few more hours of battery juice would solve that issue. I hope version 2.0 will solve it.
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FYI, with iOS 11 you’ll be able to use them to skip and go to previous tracks, depending on which one you double tap.
I still don't understand the popularityf these things. I had a pair early on, and they were constantly falling out of my ear or losing the seal in the ear and had to be re-seated. No thanks!
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Guess I have the wrong ears. Mine literally fell out after a minute or two of just walking around. Would never stay in.
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Guess I have the wrong ears. Mine literally fell out after a minute or two of just walking around. Would never stay in.
Yes, I agree they indeed are very well made. However, I do have a question when you mentioned you use them with Samsung Galaxy S8. Does the "Auto Pause" work when you take them out of your ears when used with Android? Just curious!
Won't be a problem after ~March of next year. My Tesla Model 3 will use the iPhone as a key, so I'll have one less key fob on my key ring. The case can take that place of that.