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Hands-On With Apple's New AirPods

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Following a wait that was close to two months, Apple's AirPods have finally made their way into the hands of customers. The first AirPods orders started arriving to customers who pre-ordered last week, and Apple retail stores also began brick and mortar sales.

After waiting in line at 6:00 a.m. in the freezing cold in Palo Alto, MacRumors videographer Matt Gonzalez managed to snag a set of AirPods and has spent the day testing them out for a hands-on video. To get a closer look at the AirPods and see what Matt thought, watch below.


Customer reactions to AirPods have been largely positive, and users have been impressed with the fit, the sound quality, the syncing process, and the battery life.

Sound quality and long-range Bluetooth seem to be one of the biggest surprises, and many customers have said the sound is better than the standard EarPods, even likening the sound to more expensive headphones. With the W1 chip, the AirPods connect to the iPhone and other devices within seconds, and charging speeds are impressive -- Apple's promised 3 hours of playback for 15 minutes of charging, which has turned out to be accurate.

Most Apple Stores sold out of AirPods stock within an hour or two as people lined up ahead of when stores opened, but some stores are already receiving new shipments and Apple has promised regular stock. In-store pickup to check stock is not yet available, but should be coming in the near future.

Best Buy also had a limited amount of stock today for online orders, but supplies were exhausted quickly. There's no word yet on whether Best Buy will be getting more stock, but the site is now listing the seventh of February as a delivery date.

AirPods ordered today from the online Apple Store will not ship out for six weeks, so customers hoping to get AirPods before January will need to keep an eye on stock at their local retail store.

Article Link: Hands-On With Apple's New AirPods
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2016/12/19/apple-airpods-hands-on/
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Reviewer David Pierce :- $159 doesn’t buy you any better audio than you’ll get from the EarPods that come free in the box with your iPhone.” AirPods sound like any old Bluetooth headphones, which is to say not that great. “
 
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There are some valid things to not like about these, but they are actually pretty cool. I'd think about giving them a try, but that price is just ridiculous. Maybe someday when the price drops.
 
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Honestly, as someone who has had DOZENS and DOZENS of Apple products, this is THE MOST REVOLUTIONARY CHANGE in a long time.

This is like FOUR products in one. As someone who uses the phone A TON as a consultant, I had to revert to wired in the car because the Bluetooth headsets would go dead. AirPods are like TWO Bluetooth headsets for the price of one. That's two things. Now add the battery pack / storage container for 24 hours of charge. That's a THIRD item. Finally, when listening to a call or music with one AirPod and you hit a song you really like, just put in the other AirPod and voila, your FOURTH item - an instant set of wireless headphones that sound better than Apple'S regular ones and my old beats Bluetooth headphones.

All of this is WITHOUT CORDS to look silly when one is out of your ears and when you are meeting with professionals while consulting.

Seriously, the MOST transformational Apple product I've had in YEARS and I have them ALL. Do not under-estimate this. It is seriously like comparing my Palm Phone to my first iPhone in 2007. AND FOR ONLY $159. Nothing currently compares at ANY price in my opinion.
 
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The MacRumors videographer had to wait in line in the "freezing cold" of Palo Alto? That's laughable! The overnight low was in the upper 30s. Hardly "freezing." But hey, if it makes the videographer seem like a hardened journalist willing to go to any length to secure a pair of the elusive AirPods, then mission accomplished, right? :D
 
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BigJayhawk said:
Honestly, as someone who has had DOZENS and DOZENS of Apple products, this is THE MOST REVOLUTIONARY CHANGE in a long time. This is like FOUR products in one. As someone who uses the phone A TON as a consultant, I had to revert to wired in the car because the Bluetooth headsets would go dead. AirPods are like TWO Bluetooth headsets for the price of one. That's two things. Now add the battery pack / storage container for 24 hours of charge. That's a THIRD item. Finally, when listening to a call or music with one AirPod and you hit a song you really like, just put in the other AirPod and voila, your FOURTH item - an instant set of wireless headphones that sound better than Apple'S regular ones and my old beats Bluetooth headphones. All of this is WITHOUT CORDS to look silly when one is out of your ears and when you are meeting with professionals while consulting. Seriously, the MOST transformational Apple product I've had in YEARS and I have them ALL. Do not under-estimate this. It is seriously like comparing my Palm Phone to my first iPhone in 2007. AND FOR ONLY $159. Nothing currently compares at ANY price in my opinion.
Click to expand...
No. Just... no. That argument was stretched so thin I could see through it. Kudos for that, though!
 
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Sunnysunnysingh said:
Reviewer David Pierce :- $159 doesn’t buy you any better audio than you’ll get from the EarPods that come free in the box with your iPhone.” AirPods sound like any old Bluetooth headphones, which is to say not that great. “
Click to expand...

Why did you delete your original post listed below for Post #1? (Which you were quoted on).

@Sunnysunnysingh quoted: "One word :- fugly old design"
 
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Totally agree. People don't know how important these are. This is the beginning of a wireless future. Watch the airpod video. People will see how big this is in a couple of months

BigJayhawk said:
Honestly, as someone who has had DOZENS and DOZENS of Apple products, this is THE MOST REVOLUTIONARY CHANGE in a long time.

This is like FOUR products in one. As someone who uses the phone A TON as a consultant, I had to revert to wired in the car because the Bluetooth headsets would go dead. AirPods are like TWO Bluetooth headsets for the price of one. That's two things. Now add the battery pack / storage container for 24 hours of charge. That's a THIRD item. Finally, when listening to a call or music with one AirPod and you hit a song you really like, just put in the other AirPod and voila, your FOURTH item - an instant set of wireless headphones that sound better than Apple'S regular ones and my old beats Bluetooth headphones.

All of this is WITHOUT CORDS to look silly when one is out of your ears and when you are meeting with professionals while consulting.

Seriously, the MOST transformational Apple product I've had in YEARS and I have them ALL. Do not under-estimate this. It is seriously like comparing my Palm Phone to my first iPhone in 2007. AND FOR ONLY $159. Nothing currently compares at ANY price in my opinion.
Click to expand...
 
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BigJayhawk said:
Honestly, as someone who has had DOZENS and DOZENS of Apple products, this is THE MOST REVOLUTIONARY CHANGE in a long time.
[snip]
Seriously, the MOST transformational Apple product I've had in YEARS and I have them ALL. Do not under-estimate this. It is seriously like comparing my Palm Phone to my first iPhone in 2007. AND FOR ONLY $159. Nothing currently compares at ANY price in my opinion.
Click to expand...
Don't know about all of that. But I DO find it cool that one pairing will extend that attachment to all other devices under your iCloud account. With a couple of iPads, a mac, and a phone, that is cool integration. Of course that could also be problematic in some ways, like if you share headsphones or speakers that may use this technology (in the future). Still, Apple's extension of their ecosystem continues to impress.
 
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BigJayhawk said:
Honestly, as someone who has had DOZENS and DOZENS of Apple products, this is THE MOST REVOLUTIONARY CHANGE in a long time.

This is like FOUR products in one. As someone who uses the phone A TON as a consultant, I had to revert to wired in the car because the Bluetooth headsets would go dead. AirPods are like TWO Bluetooth headsets for the price of one. That's two things. Now add the battery pack / storage container for 24 hours of charge. That's a THIRD item. Finally, when listening to a call or music with one AirPod and you hit a song you really like, just put in the other AirPod and voila, your FOURTH item - an instant set of wireless headphones that sound better than Apple'S regular ones and my old beats Bluetooth headphones.

All of this is WITHOUT CORDS to look silly when one is out of your ears and when you are meeting with professionals while consulting.

Seriously, the MOST transformational Apple product I've had in YEARS and I have them ALL. Do not under-estimate this. It is seriously like comparing my Palm Phone to my first iPhone in 2007. AND FOR ONLY $159. Nothing currently compares at ANY price in my opinion.
Click to expand...
The rare people these are ok for are ones that where ok with those one sided bluetooth headsets. If you are ok with mediocre sound and horrible fashion sense then the benefits are great for you.
 
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japanime said:
The MacRumors videographer had to wait in line in the "freezing cold" of Palo Alto? That's laughable! The overnight low was in the upper 30s. Hardly "freezing." But hey, if it makes the videographer seem like a hardened journalist willing to go to any length to secure a pair of the elusive AirPods, then mission accomplished, right? :D
Click to expand...

Hey, we're Californians, 29 degrees is definitely freezing to us!
 
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MR putting out some of the best video product overviews out there anywhere.
thumb_zpst1thkrdh.gif
 
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TimCookMustGo said:
"Airpods sound just as good if not better than earpods" - MKBHD

$159 vs $30 for slightly better? LOL...Apple, this is pathetic.
Click to expand...

1) Audio quality is just one metric that these AirPods should be measured on.

2) Do you honestly expect the sound quality to significantly increase in such a small package?

3) I'm pretty sure the price difference from traditional wired EarPods is for several reasons other than sound quality.

But thanks for the pathetic comment.
 
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