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For this week's giveaway, we've once again teamed up with BlackPods to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a pair of AirPods that have been custom-painted black or space gray to better match darker devices.

We've given away black AirPods in the past, but this time around, BlackPods has an all new BlackPods Aero in a metallic space gray finish that's a nice alternative to the standard white AirPods that Apple offers.

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If you haven't seen BlackPods before, the company takes a standard pair of Apple's AirPods and then paints them using a proprietary coating system.

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There's a three-phase finishing process for a high-quality coating of paint that's designed not to chip, fade, scuff, or wear off during usage. Each pair of BlackPods is completed by hand and then given a rigorous inspection to make sure the finish is flawless.

BlackPods offers several finish options -- the BlackPods Classic with a high-gloss black coating, the BlackPods Stealth with a matte satin coating, and the new BlackPods Aero Space Gray with a lighter gray metallic coating.

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BlackPods Classic are priced at $279, while the BlackPods Stealth and the BlackPods Aero Space Gray are priced at $299. That's a $120 to $140 premium over Apple's standard AirPods, but BlackPods is offering one of the only methods to get a unique black or gray finish for your AirPods.

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In addition to selling completed sets of painted AirPods, BlackPods also has a service that allows customers to send in their previously purchased AirPods for customization at a lower price. The process costs between $99 and $119 and it takes approximately 10 days to complete. The service includes the painting of both AirPods and the AirPods charging case.

Since BlackPods are simply re-painted AirPods, the full AirPods functionality remains intact, with a W1 chip for simple paring with all of your devices, a long battery life, an accelerometer for ear detection, and gesture support.

We have a set of BlackPods to give away to a MacRumors reader, with the winner able to choose a Stealth, Classic, or Aero finish. To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

The contest will run from today (January 5) at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time on January 12. The winners will be chosen randomly on January 12 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.

Article Link: MacRumors Giveaway: Win Custom-Painted Space Gray AirPods From BlackPods
 

Will.O.Bie

macrumors 6502
Aug 29, 2016
458
1,171
White stands out. It's clear branding. You see someone with white earbuds and you immediately know they have Apple earbuds. You see someone with grey or black and they could be product.

I agree. It's what makes it noticeable from afar. People see you have something sticking out of your ear and immediately ask, "is that those Apple earphones?" If they were black or any other color(very common with bluetooth headsets) it won't get the same attention as the white earbuds.
 
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69Mustang

macrumors 604
Jan 7, 2014
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In between a rock and a hard place
White stands out. It's clear branding. You see someone with white earbuds and you immediately know they have Apple earbuds. You see someone with grey or black and they could be product.
There are tons of people who aren't trying to be walking billboards.

I agree. It's what makes it noticeable from afar. People see you have something sticking out of your ear and immediately ask, "is that those Apple earphones?" If they were black or any other color(very common with bluetooth headsets) it won't get the same attention as the white earbuds.
Who are these people that want their earbuds to be noticeable? Sounds sorta insecure and bit sad.
 

Rogifan

macrumors Penryn
Nov 14, 2011
24,084
31,015
I bet they will. As soon as there's a hint of sales slowdown with the AirPods, BOOM! Colors be comin'.
Right because the iPhone C was such a smash. Nobody is not buying AirPods because they can’t get them in hot pink. :rolleyes:
 

neliason

macrumors 6502a
Oct 1, 2015
500
1,240
I’ve seen a few people at the grocery store with AirPods. They looked kinda silly to me, possibly because they are white and stand out so much. Just yesterday I saw someone shooting hoops. They seemed to be great for that and made me reconsider their value.

When I say they look silly that is just my personal impression. I wouldn’t mind having a pair myself even if I looked silly. I think a non white color would look less funny.
 

Bboss

macrumors newbie
Jun 6, 2017
6
13
Is this another gold dress/blue dress phenomenon here? Do those EarPods up top look gold to anyone else? Are they supposed to? They definitely don’t look space gray to me.
 
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Smearbrick

macrumors 6502
Jan 12, 2013
415
799
Central PA
How much of the Airpod supply goes to aftermarket refinishing companies like this? What percentage of AirPod owners purchased their Airpods through such companies?
 

Boatboy24

macrumors 65816
Nov 4, 2011
1,092
1,224
1 Infinite Loop
Is this another gold dress/blue dress phenomenon here? Do those EarPods up top look gold to anyone else? Are they supposed to? They definitely don’t look space gray to me.

In the first two pics, they look silver-ish to me, but I could see gold as a description as well. The second two pics, they look more like black than space gray. (maybe they are the BlackPod Stealth and Classic)
 

MozMan68

macrumors demi-god
Jun 29, 2010
6,052
5,126
South Cackalacky
I want EarPods simply for when I need to charge my phone while wanting to listen to music or talk on the phone...and that happens a lot when I'm traveling. I think I would still stick to my wired Bose in-ear headphones for "normal" use simply because I still think the EarPods look a little goofy.
 

szw-mapple fan

macrumors 68040
Jul 28, 2012
3,453
4,299
There are tons of people who aren't trying to be walking billboards.


Who are these people that want their earbuds to be noticeable? Sounds sorta insecure and bit sad.

I don't think they want their earbuds to be noticeable. They are simply commenting on the fact that it's clearly beneficial to Apple to have white earbuds as a branding effort.
 

69Mustang

macrumors 604
Jan 7, 2014
7,895
15,043
In between a rock and a hard place
I don't think they want their earbuds to be noticeable. They are simply commenting on the fact that it's clearly beneficial to Apple to have white earbuds as a branding effort.
Oh, I'm sure it's beneficial to Apple. Howeva, the original comment is about customer point of view. @atikalz wants to throw money at colors. Apple just happens to be the beneficiary. @OldSchoolMacGuy was presenting the Apple pov, not the customer pov. @Will.O.Bie was just agreeing with MacGuy. Neither was considering the customer.
 
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