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Apple iPhone Bluetooth piece

illegalprelude

illegalprelude

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Mar 10, 2005
1,583
121
Los Angeles, California
Anybody have this unit? I did a few searches but I couldnt find anything on this forum about it.

On the apple reviews. it seems like everybody loves it but their have static issues. I dunno if those are pre two iPhone updates or what.

So any experience with it from you guys and gals?
 
it sucks big time. its got bad range, bad voice quality inbound and out. just bad.

get a Jawbone. ts the best headset period. and you'll actually save some cash.
 
aphexacid said:
it sucks big time. its got bad range, bad voice quality inbound and out. just bad.
Click to expand...

I have one, and disagree. It initially had some static, can't say it still does because either I've gotten used to it or it's cleared itself up.

I own a Jabra JX10, and the Apple headset. I returned a Jawbone because I couldn't get a fit that worked for me, and I was concerned that it would fall off my ear (was a really loose fit for me).

With the Apple headset, I've had no complaints re: voice quality. I can hear the caller fine as well. But there's no ear clip for this headset, so if it doesn't fit your ear you are SOL. It fits mine, and most ear clips irritate my ear or interfere with glasses.

If you can find a store that will allow you to test-fit the Apple headset and/or Jawbone, do that and see which one fits best for you. An alternative is the Jabra JX10. It's small, light, and works well with the iPhone.

Part of the cost of the Apple headset is the dock. If they sold this with only the charging cable, they could easily knock $30 off the cost. I personally like charging both the phone and the headset with one charger. But for the money, there are lots of other options.

There are lots of threads on this subject. You might want to search and see what others have written :)

Hope this helps.
 
I hated it, returned it a day after I got it.

1. Poor Distance - Would get static when my phone was more than 5 feet from my iPhone

2. I could not keep the thing in my ear at all, it would fall out if I so much as moved a muscle.

For $130 - expected more, much more. My wife's free-after-rebate Jabra BT350 sounded 10x better and actually stayed on my ear.
 
yep I have it as well...

Useless you can not put the phone in your pocket while using it due to static
it works fine if you hold the phone up next to it besides background noise
but what is the point of using a headset if you need to hold the phone up to it you might as well just talk on the phone.

what a waste of $130.00 and i had to wait a month to be disappointed by it.:mad:
 
r6girl said:
what did you search for? there are quite a few threads on this. the furor died down not too long after it was released, though.

Just picked up my Apple Bluetooth Headset! *Pics AND Actual Audio Review*

Apple Bluetooth Headset-not so great

Apple's Bluetooth Headset is GREAT!
Click to expand...

thats so weird, maybe I didnt look on more pages but I did just a search for Apple Bluetooth Headset on the site and saw nothing. I saw threads about the iphone and bluetooth but not the Apple Bluetooth piece :eek:

well my thing currently is. I have a really nice Jabra unit currently (but I mostly use it for the PS3 right now) and I was like why not get something just for the iPhone so I dont have to re-register everytime.

Plus, im soon gonna have a $100 credit @ an apple store and the only other things I want is either the 30" Display ($100 wont make a dent in that) and a new BigMac :D and $100 wont be making any form of dent, let alone paying the tax of it hahaha.

What I find is really weird though that from what I read on apples site and I hear now, that there is such a divide between this. Is there just a quality issue and some are being made better then others or just really difference in opinion
 
Ok, I own both the JawBone and the Apple BT Headset...
I've used both of them for several weeks, and can definitely say that I like the Apple BT Headset WAY better! :)

Here are my comments on both...

Apple Bluetooth Headset...
- No static issues for me, sound quality is excellent, much better than JawBone
- Fits in my ear perfectly, I guess I lucked out with that
- Fast and easy to put into your ear when a call is coming in, no ear clips to fumble with
- I've used it in the car, with windows open on the freeway. No problems with background wind noise, etc.
- I've used it as far away as 15 feet from the iPhone with only slight static
- Excellent charger, integrated with included iPhone dock and travel cable


JawBone Headset...
- Somewhat clunky, difficult to put on with ear loop, button very hard to press - but fairly comfortable to wear
- Didn't notice much difference with noise cancellation turned on or off
- Sound quality not that great, kind of muffled
- More static in my house than outside... my friend thinks it has something to do with noise interference from my WiFi network... could be?
- Charger is kind of awkward and inconvenient to use


The JawBone is not bad, but I just like the Apple BT Headset much better.
Neither is 100% perfect... but maybe I'm just too picky. ;)

Though I did have a problem with the 1st Apple BT headset I bought. It wouldn't hold a charge, battery died after about 1 hour talk-time. I returned it to the Apple Store and exchanged for a new one. The new one works fine, no charging issues.

I still have the JawBone (black)... like I said, it's not a bad headset, so if you're interested in buying a *slightly* used JawBone headset with the box and all incuded accessories, send me a PM. :)
 
I ended up returning my Bluetooth headset. It's a Piease of *****, hands down.

I' can shoove the phone up my @ss and hear better.

Lots of static,
doesn't work over 5 ft (they advertise 30ish ft)
disconnects alot.

Your best bet is to buy it and try for yourself. I'm sure you will end up returning it within your 14days. I ended up getting ALL my money back, no restocking fee sine I told them the product didn't work correctly, defective.
 
- Didn't notice much difference with noise cancellation turned on or off

You're not going to notice a difference, the person your talking to is.

the noise cancellation on the jawbone is really not something up for disagreement, its damn amazing. you cant tell me that anyone will refute it.

i have two Jawbone's (black and silver), and a Blueant Z9. the jawbone are LOUD and clear in and out. super clean sound. i get 26 feet from my phone, and 22 feet from my macbook.

the Blueant Z9 is a good alternative. its tiny, a little lighter than the Jawbone at 10oz, has decent noise isolation (nowhere near jawbone), upgradeable firmware.

only thing is compared to the jawbone, outgoing voice quality is *slightly* muffled. but thats only if you compare it the jawbone. inbound is excellent.

if you guys want to test it out on your own, you can pair it with your mac, and use a program called audacity. its great, and you can edit on the fly
 
aphexacid said:
it sucks big time. its got bad range, bad voice quality inbound and out. just bad.

get a Jawbone. ts the best headset period. and you'll actually save some cash.
Click to expand...

now lets talk about the jawbone:

HUGE, HEAVY , UGLY. u look like an E.T with that huge thing on your ear.
its heavy as hell on the ear, have those things that goes around your ear that bother a lot. and its HUGE , people first see your bluetooth headset than you. besides that its a good bluetooth piece.

now ask me if the apple is heavy, huge and ugly ? the answer is NO.

the guy told about bad range , you put your phone in one city and try to make calls from another using bluetooth ? the phone suppose to be near you.
its a great bluetooth , works 100% WELL. and have a better price, since the jawbone charge 129 just for the headset, and apple charge the same for the headset, dock and cable.
 
Just got my headset in the mail (bought it on eBay)

First impressions: No static issue unless i walk away from the phone about 15 or 20 feet. Very comfortable - bottom line is if you like the feel of the iPod earbuds then you will love this and it will fit great - if you hate the earbuds or they fall out all the time, this wont be much better.

Sound quality seems average to above average.

And it looks amazing.
 
I went through 2 Apple Bluetooth earpieces, and returned them both. I wanted to buy the Jawbone, but I waited... With my $100 credit, I bought the Jawbone and I love it so far. Perfect fit, and sound quality is great.

The Apple piece was cool lookin and small, but for sound quality, it sucked, IMO. I almost bought it again w/the credit b/c of all the cool accessories, but sound quality won the battle, in my book.
 
anlance said:
yep I have it as well...

Useless you can not put the phone in your pocket while using it due to static
it works fine if you hold the phone up next to it besides background noise
but what is the point of using a headset if you need to hold the phone up to it you might as well just talk on the phone.

what a waste of $130.00 and i had to wait a month to be disappointed by it.:mad:
Click to expand...

Agreed. I returned mine for the exact same issue. The headset simply has too much static for regular use. If you are walking, all you will hear is static because both the phone and the headset are moving. If you leave it in your car, I guess the static is ok since nothing is moving. But still, it was a pointless purchase. To be fair, I haven't tried another headset yet, so this might be an iPhone problem and not a problem with the Apple bluetooth headset (lets hope not though).
 
Okay how much static are you guys getting? I have used the headphones that were supplied with the iPhone and I think those have static. Is it on the same level as that or more?
 
I had absolutely no static...but earpiece did not fit.
Ironicly, I took the big bite and bought B&O which had just horrible static.

Now I got nuthin...
 
hamedatl said:
If you leave it in your car, I guess the static is ok since nothing is moving. But still, it was a pointless purchase.
Click to expand...
Hmm, I was just using mine in the car tonight, had the iPhone on the passenger seat, no noise or static issues at all, was crystal clear.

It's so weird, everyone is reporting such different experiences with the Apple BT headset... I actually got MORE static with my Jawbone than with my Apple, go figure. I wonder if the environment has an effect, like lots of different radio waves in the area, lots of neighbors using wifi, cordless phones, etc.? I know all of these use a different spectrum, but interferance could still be possible...?
 
aimfire said:
Ok, I own both the JawBone and the Apple BT Headset...
I've used both of them for several weeks, and can definitely say that I like the Apple BT Headset WAY better! :)

Here are my comments on both...

Apple Bluetooth Headset...
- No static issues for me, sound quality is excellent, much better than JawBone
- Fits in my ear perfectly, I guess I lucked out with that
- Fast and easy to put into your ear when a call is coming in, no ear clips to fumble with
- I've used it in the car, with windows open on the freeway. No problems with background wind noise, etc.
- I've used it as far away as 15 feet from the iPhone with only slight static
- Excellent charger, integrated with included iPhone dock and travel cable


JawBone Headset...
- Somewhat clunky, difficult to put on with ear loop, button very hard to press - but fairly comfortable to wear
- Didn't notice much difference with noise cancellation turned on or off
- Sound quality not that great, kind of muffled
- More static in my house than outside... my friend thinks it has something to do with noise interference from my WiFi network... could be?
- Charger is kind of awkward and inconvenient to use


The JawBone is not bad, but I just like the Apple BT Headset much better.
Neither is 100% perfect... but maybe I'm just too picky. ;)

Though I did have a problem with the 1st Apple BT headset I bought. It wouldn't hold a charge, battery died after about 1 hour talk-time. I returned it to the Apple Store and exchanged for a new one. The new one works fine, no charging issues.

I still have the JawBone (black)... like I said, it's not a bad headset, so if you're interested in buying a *slightly* used JawBone headset with the box and all incuded accessories, send me a PM. :)
Click to expand...


I just returned mine yesterday after using it for two days. The static was horrible. I had to hold the phone w in two feet of the phone for it to work. If I used the headset on my right ear, I would have to place the phone on my right pocket. Otherwise, I would not be able to hear anything past the static.

Too bad too, I really loved the style, fit and overall intergration with the iPhone. Maybe I will repurchase when they revise the chipset.

I'm glad that you were the chosen one to have a good working model. I wish I had ended up with your headset.:p

What is the serial of your model to compare it to the one I returned?
 
Major static w/Apple BT, now trying Plantronics 665

I tried three different Apple Bluetooth headsets. With each of them, there was seriously bad static if I put the phone in my pocket while the headset was in my ear. With the third one I tried, the guy at the Apple store genius bar tried it with three different iPhone's, and they all did the exact same thing. I am talking bad enough that you really could not use it -- front pocket or back pocket, though back is definitely worse.

Is anybody able to put their iPhone in their pants pocket, and get a static-free signal in their Apple Bluetooth Headset?

I really want a tiny headset -- the Jawbone just looks too big for me to keep in my pocket with the phone. So I exchanged for the Plantronics Discovery 665. This one is much better. There is still a little bit of static in the pocket, but much less than the Apple. Still, it is annoying (but unlike Apple, not unusable). If I can find evidence that a better headset of this size exists, I may still return the Plantronics.

Also, the Plantronics is a much better deal than the Apple. For $99 (and much lower than that if you order from somewhere like Newegg) you get a wall charger, a USB charger, and a car charger.
 
rwdebes said:
now lets talk about the jawbone:

HUGE, HEAVY , UGLY. u look like an E.T with that huge thing on your ear.
its heavy as hell on the ear, have those things that goes around your ear that bother a lot. and its HUGE , people first see your bluetooth headset than you. besides that its a good bluetooth piece.

now ask me if the apple is heavy, huge and ugly ? the answer is NO.

the guy told about bad range , you put your phone in one city and try to make calls from another using bluetooth ? the phone suppose to be near you.
its a great bluetooth , works 100% WELL. and have a better price, since the jawbone charge 129 just for the headset, and apple charge the same for the headset, dock and cable.
Click to expand...

Your not serious are you? Trying to compare the range issue with an example of putting your phone in a different city? Maybe you were high when you wrote this?

I get a feeling you are an iSheep, and Apple can do no wrong. I have this headset, and have had it for 4 days. I can confirm the range issue. If the phone is in my belt clip on the same sid of my body, no issue. If its in my pocket or on the other side of my body, I start to get static.

I have the 14 day cut off set in my calendar, so I know when I have to decide. Right now I'm leaning 60-40 on returning it.
 
I agree, this is a very disappointing product. There should be no reason for static when it's in your pocket, that is ridiculous. I got static in both pockets of my jeans. Both the Jawbone and the cheapie bluetooth headset that comes with Warhawk on PS3 worked much better.

What was more hilarious was taking it back to Apple. The salesman returning the product swore up and down that his worked fine (so did the other salesman before I bought it) and asked if I wanted to try another one. I said no, as the reviews on the internet were also abysmal and similar comments (on Apple's own website no less). He replied that "It's the internet, people only go on there to gripe." I said something to the effect of "Nice spin, oughta go into politics" and asked if the glowing reviews for the iPhone itself (and other good Apple products) was also lies because "it's on the internet." He didn't respond to this.

I got another laugh when he suggested that I should have my iPhone checked out for problems (as if it's causing the static). I replied that the Jawbone/etc worked just fine, and he had no response for this either. Either way, I got my money back (not that it was a problem), it just annoys me (but doesn't surprise me) when salesmen act so stupid and spin issues.
 
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