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Gene Munster Predicts Apple Will Eventually Earn More From AirPods Than Apple Watch

I'd believe it.

The watch is like any other of the smartwatches and fitness accessories. They're nice devices, but as we've discussed ad nauseum, there are a lot of reasons why people might not want them

The Airpods are just headphones. Simple, Wireless, Bluetooth headphones, that have a couple additional features.

There's no vendor lock-in. it's not gadgetry pretending to be jewelry that is a very touchy subject for a lot of people

they're just wireless headphones. This makes it a far far more accessible market. nevermind from Apple users who look for alternatives from the removed 3.5mm port, But because it's using standard technologies, there's little reason why Android users can't also use them.

At $159 USD, they're a little on the expensive side, but they're not far out of the range of JayBirds, or Monsters or other branded wireless headsets.

I don't have an iPhone, and I'd seriously consider buying the AirPods as a supliment to my wired headset.

Except for the fact that Apple's international pricing is disgusting. $219 is well beyond reasonable when you can get decent quality wireless for 100-200 range and even now there are cheaper options for < $100 CAD
 
tazinlwfl said:
Right, these make you look like a "t**t".

kWJj9h5.jpg

H5rzMQW.jpg


How are people so turned off by something that is the exact same look, minus the wire?
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Umm... you do realize that Apple isn't concerned with whether you look gay???

Think about their design philosophy. Think about all the activism. The rainbow band to support LGBT. Or... even the CEO. Lol.

If Apple wanted to be sure you looked "straight", Apple products would come with strips of threadbare duct tape holding them together.

/s (this meant only as a humorous comment. No offense to the straight people or LGBT - as I do associate myself with one or more of these classifications. Lol).
 
Michaelgtrusa said:
Music this close to your ears is not good.
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WHAT?

can't hear you? i've been listening to music my whole life with headphones, and i'm obviously deaf now!


No, this is ludicrous. I recommend you study a little befor making a comment.

The closeness of the audio has very littyle to do with how it affects your hearing. The Volume on the other hand is more important. You can do significant damage to your ears from meters away if the volume is loud enough to do damage. Meanwhile, if you've got headphones in one really low volume, you're not likely to cause any damage.

Damage caused by noise to the ear tends manifest from the cilia in the ear. These cilia "wave" in response to the sound wave as it passes through the inner-ear. If the volume is too loud, these tiny hairs can be bent back for temporary hearing loss (ringing or numbness of sound), and if it happens too frequently and too strong, they can break, and lead to more permanent hearing loss.
 
macTW said:
You think they make that much hahaha.
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You would be surprised how much a well-connected analyst can make. A super-positive or a super-negative report can sway stock prices significantly and firms will pay big money to employ someone with that influence. They are not being compensated for their predictions, they are being compensated for their ability to make their employer firms lots of money through commissions and fees as the clients buy and sell stock based on the analyst's recommendations.
 
I bought the AirPods and like them for two reasons; they fit in my ears and I almost forget they are there (no wires).

Sound quality is on par with the wired Apple version.

My wish list is they would add an easier volume control; one where I didn't have to say something to Siri (I really don't like voice commands and would rather have a touch gesture).

I've had both versions of the watch and pretty much like them.

The reason why one will provide more revenue than the other is simple, price point and desire. Everyone (ok almost everyone) has some sort of audio connection with their phone these days and thus a huge market for trendy products like pods.
 
SBlue1 said:
Why?
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It can damage your hearing in the long term.
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LordVic said:
WHAT?

can't hear you? i've been listening to music my whole life with headphones, and i'm obviously deaf now!


No, this is ludicrous. I recommend you study a little befor making a comment.

The closeness of the audio has very littyle to do with how it affects your hearing. The Volume on the other hand is more important. You can do significant damage to your ears from meters away if the volume is loud enough to do damage. Meanwhile, if you've got headphones in one really low volume, you're not likely to cause any damage.

Damage caused by noise to the ear tends manifest from the cilia in the ear. These cilia "wave" in response to the sound wave as it passes through the inner-ear. If the volume is too loud, these tiny hairs can be bent back for temporary hearing loss (ringing or numbness of sound), and if it happens too frequently and too strong, they can break, and lead to more permanent hearing loss.
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Headphones have been linked to damaged hearing. Look it up.
 
carlhancock said:
Out of curiosity have you actually used the AirPods for any length of time?

I own a ton of headphones and I absolutely hate earbuds because they hurt my ears. Sitting next to me right now in my office are a pair of Seinnheiser open back w/amp, a pair of Master & Dynamics, a pair of Sony MDR-1000X (my airplane headphones), and a pair of Audio-Technica's w/amp. All over ear headphones because earbuds kill my ears.

But do you know what I use all day here at my office? The AirPods. Why? Because I can wear them all day long and not even notice they are in my ears.

Everyone has different ears. But i've found the AirPods to be the most comfortable headphones i've ever used. They can't beat any of the over ear headphones I have for pure audio quality, but they don't need to. For all day use while sitting at my desk, talking on my phone, etc. the comfort they provide me outweighs the audiophile audio quality of my other headphones that I own.

I still use my other headphones. I just can't wear them all day long like I can the AirPods. My ears would be numb. The AirPods I will literally forget they are in my ears while going about my daily routine at work.
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I actually love them. You cant even tell you have them in most of the time. Ive nearly gone in the shower with them on. And under the water in the tub. The sound also has an immersive quality to it, lent by the smallness and lightness of the buds and the absence of cables.

working out in them is the best. Because cables and bigger bluetooth headphones always get in the way for me. Obviously the sound isnt the best, but when it is warm or you just going shopping or something they are really worth it. You can also easily switch to mono audio and share one with your friend.

And im a mad audiophile i have/had grado, kef, ultimate ears, b&w, vmoda and sennheiser buds and cans b4.
 
jonnyb098 said:
Yeah what a piece of garbage design....it's essentially an iPhone (minus the phone) on your wrist. Such trash. SMH......

#SARCASM

Sometimes nothing is ever good enough for people.
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I noticed the #sarcasm, but doubt that when you through in your last line. I didn't trash the design. I said it could be better compared to what other companies are coming out with.

iwatch-concept-design-mockup-home.png

If it looked like this, I would be all over it. Of course we are years away from something like this and I believe with the huge market of their band sales, they wouldn't create something like this to destroy that market. I noted the samsung gear fit 2 has a smilier design like this, but of course its designed to work with samsung phones.

It is simply an extension of your phone which to me isn't worth the price (right now). With the cash flow that apple is seeing, it's time to come out with redesign.
 
jrholt said:
Interesting report from London. They are all over the place in NYC. At first I noticed one or two but now it seems that quite a few people have them.
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Don't believe every piece of anecdotal evidence you read.

I have AirPods, and work in London.

I also see 2-3 people a day with them, They're actual quite subtle and usually have to look twice to notice them, whereas regular EarPods can be seen easily by the wires.

I personally think white wires dangling, tangled around your neck look more ridiculous and are far more annoying!
 
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Well, silly speculation, but it stands to reason that an accessory that can be used for all iDevices AND any other mobile device with Bluetooth will sell more then a niche market product like a Smart Watch. There are billions of customers with Bluetooth enabled products, there are not billions of people interested in any Smart Watch.

However I don't feel that the Air Pods in their current design will sell like hotcakes, especially to non-Apple device users. The brand, if the design evolves, might pick up but currently I don't think many people outside of the cult of Apple think they are overall great looking. I mean even if they came in black or a metal, maybe, glossy white is cheap looking, period.
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Eggtastic said:
I noticed the #sarcasm, but doubt that when you through in your last line. I didn't trash the design. I said it could be better compared to what other companies are coming out with.

iwatch-concept-design-mockup-home.png

If it looked like this, I would be all over it. Of course we are years away from something like this and I believe with the huge market of their band sales, they wouldn't create something like this to destroy that market. I noted the samsung gear fit 2 has a smilier design like this, but of course its designed to work with samsung phones.

It is simply an extension of your phone which to me isn't worth the price (right now). With the cash flow that apple is seeing, it's time to come out with redesign.
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So you would be all over a Microsoft Band knock off?
 
omihek said:
Seriously how can I get a job doing what these analysts do? We predict the iPod Touch will come in 7 colors next year! Apple will almost definitely maybe probably not make an Apple Television like we've all been saying for the last 10 years! The new Apple Car will feature CarPlay! Ok now pay me $120,000 a year.
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Get a degree in economics, cultivate years of sources and contacts in as many industries as possible. Study years worth of failures and successes of various products and ideas. Most of you people think being an analyst is an easy job. I can't imagine how stressful it must be when people count on your analasys to make buying or selling decisions.
 
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Recognition said:
Don't believe every piece of anecdotal evidence you read.

I have AirPods, and work in London.

I also see 2-3 people a day with them, They're actual quite subtle and usually have to look twice to notice them, whereas regular EarPods can be seen easily by the wires.

I personally think white wires dangling, tangled around your neck look more ridiculous and are far more annoying!
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I live in NYC and yet to see anyone wearing them.
 
Amacfa said:
Wrong. It’s subjective. These pics look horrendous because of the people, I’ve seen men and women that they actually look pretty awesome with AirPods on. But these guys are clearly nerds, and look even more so with the airpods. You gotta be good looking first
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pics?
 
Recognition said:
I personally think white wires dangling, tangled around your neck look more ridiculous and are far more annoying!
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Exactly my thoughts. I guess it is a matter of personal preference.
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tazinlwfl said:
They are not the exact same shape. On top of being very lightweight (the lack of wire makes them less likely to get weighed down and fall out), they are just slightly different in shape - but enough that I wouldn't "trust" prior experience with EarPods. They are also louder with a better range of highs and lows than EarPods.

(ETA: Qualifier - I've had my AirPods for about 36 hours. I also have a pair of EarPods and In-Ear headphones from Apple with me. AirPods are the most comfortable and better sounding)
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Cool, thanks for these details. So, from your own personal experience, the AirPods are generally superior.

Let me also ask: how do you control the audio volume? And what about the quality of the microphone? This is the most interesting part for me. Could you comment on that also?
 
Why do these things cost so much? They're little ear phone speakers, a blue tooth antennae/processor, and battery.

I have a bluetooth dongle that costs 20 bucks, retail. Why must these costs so much?
 
djeeyore25 said:
I would really have a hard time buying AirPods for $249 or $299. For that price they'd better be waterproof, noise cancelling, have an extremely long battery life, and sound twice as good as the AirPods do now. On the flip side, at that price they'd be more readily available.
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You are not the target demo.
 
SpectatorHere said:
Why do these things cost so much? They're little ear phone speakers, a blue tooth antennae/processor, and battery.

I have a bluetooth dongle that costs 20 bucks, retail. Why must these costs so much?
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uh... PowerBeats3 wireless have the same W1 chip as the AirPods and cost $200 (No charging case included).
 
PBMB said:
Exactly my thoughts. I guess it is a matter of personal preference.
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Cool, thanks for these details. So, from your own personal experience, the AirPods are generally superior.

Let me also ask: how do you control the audio volume? And what about the quality of the microphone? This is the most interesting part for me. Could you comment on that also?
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Volume is controlled on the source - i.e. the Siri remote will control the volume when connected to an AppleTV (which I’ve used these AirPods with almost as much as my phone). Siri can control volume, but you’re better off using the volume rocker on your phone, keyboard on a Mac, etc, for rapid changes. Favorite feature is the auto-pause, so I keep them at a good volume, and pull one out to quickly “hear” something/someone around me. Haven’t tested the mic yet, but I will soon. The EarPod mic has been “okay” at best, but wired mics always worked better for me than BT. I’ve read great things about the mic though.
 
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