iPhone 7 Hands-On: Improved Cameras, New Jet Black Color, AirPods, No Headphone Jack, and More

[9081094]

Seriously Apple? That's your solution? Wireless earphones with a long stick poking out? People are gonna get serious stick for wearing those!

How are other companies able to make theirs much more compact and stylish, yet you've gone for some weird alien protrusion? I thought style was something Apple excelled at.

Looks like an ear cleaner to me.

 

[bluespark]

No. I remember how CD-ROMs took off then. Everything else was still very expensive for many years to come.

But I also don't remember them announcing CD-Rs on the exact same day the iMac lost the floppy drive. They'd been around and people knew what they were. In other words, there was overlap between the old and the new. (Kind of like how Apple transitioned from PowerPC to Intel. Remember that? How they took a year to do it?)

Not like this where they just went and did it all at once. Why? Why not make Airbuds available last year with the iPhone 6S? Would that have made too much sense? Apparently!

In fairness, this was the year that wireless headphone sales overtook wired headphone sales. Apple's new option isn't exactly the only one out there.

 

[elev8d]

Hmm - from The Verge piece:

Another thing I tried: the new home button, which uses a "taptic engine" to give you physical feedback when you press it — it's pressure sensitive too, so it can tell if you really mean to press it or just tap it. And it's awful. On a MacBook trackpad, you get this uncanny feeling that you're actually hitting a button. On the iPhone, the whole bottom of the phone just sort of "kicks." It's not bad haptics like you remember, with weird vibration, it's just a new kind of bad haptics. It doesn't feel like a button at all. It's a bummer.​

It's one of those things you gotta try for yourself I think.

 

[x-evil-x]

You say that now...wait until all the Android phones start removing the 3.5mm jack as well one by one...

Then he will just complain and complain again

 

[duction]

You say that now...wait until all the Android phones start removing the 3.5mm jack as well one by one...

Ok so you can't charge and use normal headphones any more, you have these ugly wireless EarPods instead... do these EarPods do hands free mic stuff for in the car?

 

[mpavilion]

They are wire less earbuds. Wire - less... not wireless... wire.... oh forget it!

Gotcha -- I missed the wit in the divided compound word

 

[elev8d]

Looks like an ear cleaner to me.

Haha, yeah it looks totally silly, but it said it's for the mic to pick up the voice better.

 

[CarlJ]

That jet black will look like it lost a fight on a bus full of drag queens on their way to a wig sale within a week.

Interesting. How long did you test it for?

 

[Feenician]

Cool, now the earbuds that don't stay in my ears and always woggle out and dangle from a wire will fall out and land in the prairie, or the river, or the snow, or down the mountain.

No news on the iPad. Whew. No news is good news.

When Tim and Jony come round to your house to force you to use this particular model of earbud it's going to be a really bad day for you... Oh wait.

 

[TXCherokee]

Im so exited! I just eat a burger!

I'm so exited I showered today!

I'm so exited I watched TV today! XD!!!!

Really Apple? You increased the production on the iPhone 7 because of the Note 7 battery problems? Have you forgot about the Galaxy S7 Edge? the best selling smartphone in 2016!

Um, about that: https://www.macrumors.com/2016/09/06/iphone-6s-top-selling-smartphone-ahead-of-iphone-7/

 

[duction]

When Tim and Jony come round to your house to force you to use this particular model of earbud it's going to be a really bad day for you... Oh wait.

hope they don't blowup like Samsung phones,

 

[elev8d]

Everyone complains about wires and then when you take them away everyone complains about the lack of wires. Weird.

I say bring on the new generation of wireless audio. Those EarPods are just the first generation, just imagine where we'll be in 5 years and there on.

Certainly it won't be the same place as we'd be if we'd carried on using wired headphones, which is pretty much exactly the same place as it was both now, and 40 years ago.

Phil was right, dumping old habits does take courage, and it pays off.



Sent from my Newton

I think we are more disappointed at Apple's Airpods' design, It just looks silly with so many better looking competitors out there.

 

[Feenician]

"Apple products are a fashion accessory!!!"
- Android fanboys

"These earphones don't look cool enough!!!"
- Android fanboys

 

[Populus]

Looking forward to the first drop test of the new Jet black iPhone

 

[Blaze4G]

In fairness, this was the year that wireless headphone sales overtook wired headphone sales. Apple's new option isn't exactly the only one out there.

Huh?

Wired headphones sales was 83% and wireless was 17%...so...

 

[Feenician]

I think we are more disappointed at Apple's Airpods' design, It just looks silly with so many better looking competitors out there.

I'm interested in buying wireless earphones with dual mics. Can you link me to some of the many better looking competitors please?

 

[cocky jeremy]

Jet black is so good looking. May be a fingerprint magnet, but it's an instant buy for me. We may have known about the features beforehand, but I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't as lackluster as we were expecting!

Fingerprints are why I love the matte so much. Jet Black is pretty but, eh. Way too much cleaning for an OCD person like myself. lol.

 

[elev8d]

Microphones. Two of them. In this directional microphones that, shockingly, have to point in the direction of your mouth.

Most bluetooth earbuds have mics on them. Never had a pair that didn't actually.

 

[yochanan77]

It's just a 'phone', people.

 

[Analog Kid]

LIGHTNING TO 3.5mm ADAPTER IS $9.00!!

$9.00 !!!!!

This has to be some kind of new record for Apple!

Your sig needs more colors...

 

[Feenician]

Most bluetooth earbuds have mics on them. Never had a pair that didn't actually.

Most/many do. Someone was comparing these to ones that don't and just sit in the ear.

 

[Slix]

Few thoughts of mine on the AirPods.

What happens to older Macs/iOS devices that can't support iOS 10/macOS Sierra? According to this page: http://www.apple.com/airpods/, it only supports the latest OS, which is saddening for those devices like an older iPhone 4S, for instance (and don't even get me started on the iPod nano with Bluetooth...).

Far into the future, we might see the opposite thing happen. If someone picks up an "old" iPhone 6S 20 years into the future, it might be impossible to find wired headphones. I know that's a long stretch, but it very well could happen someday.

Someone else here mentioned about a single port to charge and play music is no longer possible (right now, adapters may come at some point). This brings the issue like I have with an older iPod shuffle 2nd gen I got ahold of, where the battery is dead, but since it charges with the headphone jack, it's impossible to play music with it plugged in, rendering the device virtually useless.

Now, onto the good stuff. I like the design (mainly because I love my EarPods and use them all the time), and once price comes down a bit, I may get some of my own.

 

[Daws001]

Glad I didn't buy new headphones. I'm ready for wireless earbuds. Cords just get shorts in them and get tangled and they're stupid and smelly.

Bring on the wireless revolution!

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Are Airpod's "styling" suppose to be a retro take on BT headsets? Apple's design really has gone downhill. I'm not a fan of BT headsets but I've seen some fairly cool looking ones. Airbuds look like they were made for the dollar store. Just goofy as all get out.

 

[rzc16512]

he also says black is not avaliable in 32gb, which it is. He knows nothing

I think he means jet black which is only an option on 128gb and 256gb models