Really? How did the device know whether you want to play from the headphones or the device speakers?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple to Debut New AirPods This Year With Handsfree 'Hey, Siri' Voice Command Feature, 'Water-Resistant' Models Coming in 2019
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Really? How did the device know whether you want to play from the headphones or the device speakers?
They do indeed sound quite a bit better than unpowered EarPods. No need to pretend otherwise.
That doesn't mean they sound great though. They are a good compromise of sound quality to feature set.
A lot of people really don't like in-ear style buds, which are necessary to achieve better sound. Some people feel like have the potential for damage to your ears as well.
Apple relies on Handoff to determine which device responds to Hey Siri - you need to make sure all of your devices are Handoff capable. The most common problem is disabling bluetooth on one of the devices.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204681#handoff
Hope the new version headphones don't fall out of my ears every time I lightly move my head. Oh wait, they still have those awful tubes sticking out. Hopefully the wireless headphone market will continue to improve and there will be lots of viable alternatives this year. Volume control and maybe any color other than glaring dork white would be great as well.
I don't think they would fall out so easily if they had silicon tips. I use silicon ear plugs while swimming and they have never came out.
Yea I wish they were in ear silicon pods as well. Don’t think it’ll happen though:
I think one reason though why it hasn’t been done is because if there was silicon on the tip, the sensor that recognizes if it’s in your ear or not won’t work anymore. Found that out when I bought custom silicon tips for running.
Also it would be tough to fit them as smoothly Into the charging case as they do now.
What I'd really like are some soft silicone tipped AirPods. That hard plastic is just too uncomfortable for me.
I could see some wanting this. Personally I don’t even feel them in my ears.
They really need a rocker for volume up and down. Wireless is great, but talking to Siri is not always convenient. I'd take the classic headphone remote - 3 buttons. I know I can reach for my phone, but isn't that the point of these things - removing the necessity of phone interaction?
Yes it's on and always has been and it still has issues. Do it yourself. Raise your watch so it turns on. Have your iPhone nearby and say Hey Siri. Both go off.
Except most people don’t have to. That’s the great thing about third party accessories though: Options.
I do it myself all the time, only the watch responds if I have my wrist raised.
Last edited:
Making AirPods white to be consistent with EarPods and making AirPods white to make them easier to find are not mutually exclusive concepts.
When your make something by the millions, you look at probabilities in user experience. People already lose AirPods. If they sold them in black, the loss rate for those would be exponentially higher. Lost AirPods equals unhappy customers, even when it’s the customer’s own fault, because it’s never the customer’s fault as far as the customer is concerned. White objects are, by the laws of physics, easier to see than are black objects, unless the background is also white. Places that people are most likely to lose small objects like earbuds are much more likely to be shadowy and dark.
I would not be surprised if at some point Apple starts selling AirPods in other bright colors. I would be surprised if they sell them in black or dark colors. If I end up being surprised about that, I guarantee you that there will be lots of comments or even whole threads in places like this with people criticizing Apple for being so stupid as to sell AirPods in black, because they’re so easily lost. I also guarantee that some of those complaints would be that Apple started making them in black specifically to increase the number of purchases of replacement AirPods.
What surprises the living heck out of me is that someone hasn't come up with earrings that will hold the Airpods in someones ears. I think that would change the market, and would be so awesome! I could turn the Airpod out of my ear at the grocery and now have to look like a dweeb holding it as I talk, and sign the terminal.
Great idea? I think so!!!
I'm not sure how the sensor works now, but an accelerometer should be able to tell when you take them out of your ears.
The charging case should be redesigned for that particular model. Maybe they don't want to have two completely different AirPods and cases since most people are doing fine with their current product.
None of that makes any kind of sense -- business or common -- or has any basis of fact. Sorry.
1. Apple has never sold Apple branded earbuds in any color other than white, even corded. It's a long tradition, not a sudden decision made to insure people wouldn't lose their AirPods. Again, white was originally used a unique differentiator in a world of black colored electronics and it became a de fact signature color for Apple. If Apple was initially concerned lost AirPods it would have designed a "find my AirPod" solution into the product instead of the feeble workaround it now has.
2. You are pulling facts out of your posterior when you say "loss rate for those would be exponentially higher." You have ZERO factual evidence black products have a higher lost rate than other colors. It might be your opinion, but opinion is not fact.
3. You should take a physics course (or pass one) before you declare "White objects are, by the laws of physics, easier to see than are black objects..." Physics -- and I'll quote the dictionary here for brevity -- is "the science that deals with matter, energy, motion, and force." It has NOTHING to do with how one recognizes an object or keeps up with one. That is Cognitive science's field of research. Basing your statement on the wrong science only weakens whatever point you think you were making.
4. You should never be surprised by anything Apple does. Time and time again Apple has dismissed something only to later embrace it because it claims it figured out how to "do it right." Apple will do anything it thinks it can make money on. Also don't make guarantees you can't keep.
I’m beginning to suspect that arguing with you is a pointless excercise, but seriously. The behavior of light is very much a subject in the field of physics. In this case, white objects are white because they reflect all colors of visible light. Black objects are black because they reflect very little visible light of any color. White AirPods are easy to see because they reflect light of every visible frequency. Black ones would not be easy to see, because they don’t. The reflection and/or absorption of light is a whole thing in physics. Perhaps you should try studying it a little before insisting that it has nothing to do with how one recognizes an object.
Arguing is always pointless -- it's emotional. Debate OTOH is moored by fact and plausible hypothesis. I welcome debate and I'm happy to recognize when shown my thinking has gone off the rails or I used questionable information to bolster a point. I'll always consider a plausible concept opposite of my own. That is how you learn and improve. You'd be good to do the same rather than stand on a point made of quicksand and complain that discussion is a "pointless exercise," merely because your stance is flimsy.
I've explained why the AirPods are only available in white right now and that it's nothing to do with aiding people finding them if lost. You have shown zero evidence or history to make your point. History refutes your hypotheses.
But I'll bite. If your theory was correct then why would Apple only sell the Apple TV remote in black -- formerly white? The Apple TV remote is quite compact, also easy to lose in dark furniture or dimly lit rooms were many TVs are placed. Could it be because Apple TV is now black and it wanted the remote to match? Hmm? Or, pulling from your theory, should we just assume Apple cares more customer's experiences with AirPod and not Apple TV?
BTW don't reply saying people don't lose their Apple TV remote. Just Google "lost my Apple TV remote." Lots of entries there. Also, no, human recognition of objects does not fall under physics. You can't make it so with your example. It's part of the cognitive science. Learn up on both and you'll see the difference.
Here is some more background reading for you: http://www.businessinsider.com/why-are-apple-headphones-white-2016-5
Last edited:
Yeah, I'm learning to live with that. Connection isn't snappy & reliable, especially when doing the recharge shuffle (pull AirPod from case, insert in ear, wait up to a minute+ for it to engage, stick other AirPod back in case to catch up charging). Annoying as it is, it would be less of an issue if batteries lasted 8+ hours, so I have to say power is the bigger issue.
I still only need to charge my air pods once a week so power wise it still works great. Still not sure if I need too upgrade them when the 2nd gen comes out. They do whats required in fairness.
I can't fathom how Apple hasn't fixed this, though. At times my AirPods become unusable when I want to use them, usually requiring me to either take it out of my ear or put it back in the case, and take it out again - and wait...
How is this acceptable to Apple? It didn't USE to be this way when they came out...
How many charge cycles are they supposed to last before they battery starts degrading?
Hard to say but I’ve had mine since launch and so far battery has been great since day 1. With the battery case it really shouldn’t be an issue where you have to monitor battery life
Your logic is flawed in that you argue that things only exist as binary propositions. The cognitive aspect of seeing objects does not negate the underlying physics of light; it relies on the underlying physics. You cannot visually perceive an object in the absence of light, and the properties of light are described by physics. An aesthetic branding choice for white earbuds does not negate the fact that designers realize that white objects are easier to see than black ones. The branding choice is actually made for that specific reason.
I will grant that I offer a utilitarian reason for AirPods to be white as a hypothesis. I have not asked any Apple engineers or designers if this was a factor in their decision to produce the devices exclusively in white. Interestingly, your link above offers a good argument for the branding decision to make the original iPod earbuds in white, but also only does so as a hypothesis. There are no sources offered from Apple to corroborate that argument.
There is, however, a link within the Business Insider article to an IEEE article from back in 2005 that really sums it all up. The IEEE article observes that including white corded buds with the iPod created a buzz, because you can “identify a user at 30 yards, so that it’s possible to scan a subway car and instantly know who’s in the club.” That makes sense. Of course, your sources for the totally legitimate hypothesis that white buds are good branding also bolster my also totally legitimate hypothesis that white buds are good because they’re easy to see and find. Their whiteness that makes them easy to spot at 30 yards also makes them easy to spot at the bottom of a purse. These are not mutually exclusive ideas, and your “history” is no less conjecture based on observational logic than is my hypothesis.
Last edited:
It will depend on usage but I’ve had mine since the day they came out and I use them every day for hours at a time, I don’t think the battery has degraded too much on mine but taking a phone call does drain them after about an hour or so. Because they are so good version 2 will be an instant buy for me.