AirPods available now

murpho999

Everybody talking about the functionality and tech capabilities of the Airpods.

But do people actually care about their prime function which is that they are headphones. Expensive ones too.

How is the sound quality, bass etc.

How do they compare to Earpods, which is not really great sound either?

Bob24

Blazer wrote: »

Er they did innovate.
They're the first company to be able to stream simultaneously to 2 separate bluetooth channels simultaneously. Other companies have tried and failed for years whereas Apple succeeded with the creation of the W1 chip. This is one of the reasons why the airpods can flawlessly play back video without any lag whatsoever.
And its pretty easy to increase volume..just double tap and tell siri "increase volume to 80%" etc.

Battery efficiency of the W1 chip is also a bit of a game changer I think.

All other companies selling truely wireless earphones have much larger and heavier products, with at best similar battery life and sometimes worse. This is because their Bluetooth implemention requires much more power hence much larger batteries.

Beats headphones also saw a *dramatic* improvement in battery life when they switch to W1 chips (the most impressive example is the solo series which apparently went from 12 hours to 40 hours battery life with not much else changed besides adding that chip: http://appleinsider.com/articles/16/09/28/beats-solo3-test-finds-apple-w1-audio-chip-boosts-battery-life-simplifies-pairing) (for the record I don't like Beats and never did :-) - but their product lines are interesting for comparing the effect of adding a W1 chip into the mix as the essentially released new version similar to their old ones but including the chip)

Bob24

murpho999 wrote: »

Everybody talking about the functionality and tech capabilities of the Airpods.

But do people actually care about their prime function which is that they are headphones. Expensive ones too.

How is the sound quality, bass etc.

How do they compare to Earpods, which is not really great sound either?

Sound quality is ok but obviously nothing near hifi and you could find wired earphones which sound as good for a bit less than half the price. What I like though is that the sound is fairly balanced and not completely overpowered with bass as many low/mid range consumer earphones would be. It's also a pretty laid back sound signature which you can listen to for a long period. I haven't listened to the Earpods in a long time so I'm not sure but I think the AirPods are a bit better.

Having said that for casual listening those are great (especially podcasts/radio/movies, or when you want to be able to move around freely, but they'll do fine with music as well as long as you are not in a noisy environement). They are no doubt the most ergonomic and comfortable earphones I have used combined to the best wireless implementation I have seen. It does matter to me a lot given what I use them for and if I want better sounding phones I use something else.

Dades

Blazer wrote: »

Er they did innovate.
They're the first company to be able to stream simultaneously to 2 separate bluetooth channels simultaneously. Other companies have tried and failed for years whereas Apple succeeded with the creation of the W1 chip. This is one of the reasons why the airpods can flawlessly play back video without any lag whatsoever.

Touchy subject here! I only mean they weren't the first to start producing wireless headphones, but when they turned their hand to it, they did it better than anyone. I'd also add that the charging case really completes the package.

Blazer wrote: »

And its pretty easy to increase volume..just double tap and tell siri "increase volume to 80%" etc.

A method of changing the volume that, for me, fits right in with these ideas. :P

murpho999 wrote: »

Everybody talking about the functionality and tech capabilities of the Airpods.

But do people actually care about their prime function which is that they are headphones. Expensive ones too.

How is the sound quality, bass etc.

For most users I'd imagine the prime function is that you can easily hook them up, listen to stuff and take calls wirelessly. If one is after real sound quality they'll already know that isn't what AirPods are offering.

murpho999

Dades wrote: »

For most users I'd imagine the prime function is that you can easily hook them up, listen to stuff and take calls wirelessly. If one is after real sound quality they'll already know that isn't what AirPods are offering.

There are plenty of cheaper bluetooth headsets that can do a lot of this.

Surely for €179 you'd want good sound.

Blazer

Dades wrote: »

Touchy subject here! I only mean they weren't the first to start producing wireless headphones, but when they turned their hand to it, they did it better than anyone. I'd also add that the charging case really completes the package.
.

Only giving credit where credit is due
Now as for faceid..don't get me started on that pile of crap.

DubDJ

murpho999 wrote: »

There are plenty of cheaper bluetooth headsets that can do a lot of this.

Surely for €179 you'd want good sound.

I think what you’re missing is with devices like the AirPods there will be trade offs, especially at such an early stage for truely wireless earphones. You won’t find a pair that have excellent sound, build and performance for a good while yet. It’s still a fairly new market too so the products out right now are early in the game.

Also, compared to others Apple’s are actually competitively priced for once.

Blazer wrote: »

Only giving credit where credit is due
Now as for faceid..don't get me started on that pile of crap.

FaceID hasn’t even been released on a device yet, the only preview we’ve seen is a few seconds at the keynote. Bit early to be calling to a pile of crap.

Wait until the iPhone X is actually released, or at the very least until reviewers get their hands on it and can test how reliable it is and how well it compares to TouchID. Don’t decide how good something is until people have gotten to try it out.

Blazer

DubDJ wrote: »

I think what you’re missing is with devices like the AirPods there will be trade offs, especially at such an early stage for truely wireless earphones. You won’t find a pair that have excellent sound, build and performance for a good while yet. It’s still a fairly new market too so the products out right now are early in the game.

Also, compared to others Apple’s are actually competitively priced for once.



FaceID hasn’t even been released on a device yet, the only preview we’ve seen is a few seconds at the keynote. Bit early to be calling to a pile of crap.

Wait until the iPhone X is actually released, or at the very least until reviewers get their hands on it and can test how reliable it is and how well it compares to TouchID. Don’t decide how good something is until people have gotten to try it out.

come off it..we also saw how bad it was at the keynote.
In its first iteration its a poor man's substitute for touch id.
Then again touchid was a bit laggy at start and the 2nd gen was lightning fast.
The only reason faceid is in is because Apple couldn't get touchid working underneath the display.

Marty Bird

Blazer wrote: »

come off it..we also saw how bad it was at the keynote.
In its first iteration its a poor man's substitute for touch id.
Then again touchid was a bit laggy at start and the 2nd gen was lightning fast.
The only reason faceid is in is because Apple couldn't get touchid working underneath the display.

It's very hard to judge a tech purely from one demo, I don't remember Touch ID to be laggy either. I'll trust Apple on this they have a record of perfecting a tech to release to the masses.

Dades

murpho999 wrote: »

There are plenty of cheaper bluetooth headsets that can do a lot of this.

Surely for €179 you'd want good sound.

I have a cheaper bluetooth earbuds which took calls and let me listen to stuff. They were a pain to pair, uncomfortable and bulky.

For €179 you're paying for effortless ease of use and comfort. If you use headsets all day, then it's value for money. I'm no audiophile, so the sound is perfect for me. For those with keener ears, or who prefer music over podcasts and voice calls, there are other more suitable options.

DubDJ

Blazer wrote: »

come off it..we also saw how bad it was at the keynote.
In its first iteration its a poor man's substitute for touch id.
Then again touchid was a bit laggy at start and the 2nd gen was lightning fast.
The only reason faceid is in is because Apple couldn't get touchid working underneath the display.

I didn’t, other than the first error which was explained after the keynote to be a result of too many incorrect face scans it worked fine. At these events the demos will also usually be cautious so holding it right up to his face was probably a decision to make sure the conditions were perfect to avoid mistakes.

While I agree FaceID was a fallback for Apple I still won’t strike it down until I get to try it out. I honestly think it’s ridiculous to slate something as a pile of crap before it’s been released to consumers or reviewers. Especially from a company like Apple who more often than not get things like this right, and are cautious with releasing unpolished features. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt until I get to try it myself.

murpho999

Blazer wrote: »

come off it..we also saw how bad it was at the keynote.
In its first iteration its a poor man's substitute for touch id.
Then again touchid was a bit laggy at start and the 2nd gen was lightning fast.
The only reason faceid is in is because Apple couldn't get touchid working underneath the display.

You are really judging a feature based on an error, if it was that, at a demo that was given 2 months before it's finally released?

Did you not notice that Apple were aware it could go wrong and therefore arranged backup devices just in case and that back up device's faceid worked fine?

I've seen you here before saying that it's nothing new and has been done before but you are wrong. Other products have face identification but not with 3d like Apple has and nor will it recognise you with sunglasses, hairdos etc as well as it not being fooled by a photograph.

Far too early to call but I really don't see Apple releasing such a major product unless it's good and I'm sure it will be.

Blazer

The reason I call it a pile of crap is that Apple were forced early into using it as they couldn’t get touchid working. Otherwise they wouldn’t have released it for at least another year or so as it’s obvious it’s not there yet.
I love Apple products but I don’t let the blind me to their faults ether.

DubDJ

I’m sure they would of liked to remove the camera bump, maybe even the notch and make the phone thinner but compromises have to be made. Because they went a different way with authentication doesn’t mean it’s a pile of crap. Even deciding something is bad before using it doesn’t make sense.

There’s absolutely no way of knowing what Apple had planned for the future of Touch ID or whether FaceID was supposed to be released next year and isn’t ready yet. Other than rumours of TouchID being on this years it’s basically based on that fact.

I doubt the banks would of signed off on FaceID for Apple Pay if it wasn’t up to the job.

Bob24

Blazer wrote: »

The reason I call it a pile of crap is that Apple were forced early into using it as they couldn’t get touchid working. Otherwise they wouldn’t have released it for at least another year or so as it’s obvious it’s not there yet.
I love Apple products but I don’t let the blind me to their faults ether.

I'm somewhat skeptical as well, but you should really wait for the phone to be released and people to start using the feature before making a call about it being subpar.

murpho999

Blazer wrote: »

The reason I call it a pile of crap is that Apple were forced early into using it as they couldn’t get touchid working. Otherwise they wouldn’t have released it for at least another year or so as it’s obvious it’s not there yet.
I love Apple products but I don’t let the blind me to their faults ether.

I have no idea how you can see it's not there yet when the phone has not been released yet.

Are you privy to Apple meetings that you know so much about their strategy.

Worst issue with the X is the bloody notch anyway.

Gregor Samsa

Blazer wrote: »

And its pretty easy to increase volume..just double tap and tell siri "increase volume to 80%" etc.

Yeah, but it's not that easy is it? Here's the reality:

• You're listening to your music
• You double tap your ear
• Your music pauses
• You say "turn volume up" out loud
• You wait for Siri to process the command and act
• Your music starts playing again
• You realise that it's a bit too loud now
• You double tap your ear
• Your music pauses
• You say "turn volume down a little" out loud
• You wait for Siri to process the command and act
• Your music starts playing again
• etc...

That's absolutely no replacement for the simplicity of tapping a button to instantaneously change volume. Is anyone really going to do this sitting on a bus, or at their office desk or walking around a supermarket? The whole point of earphones is that you're listening to audio without disturbing anyone else. Who would want to be talking to themselves out loud in public to do this?

And I understand the design decision not to litter the pods with buttons, but let's not pretend that using a laggy voice activated "virtual assistant" for controlling playback volume on a set of earphones is an acceptable solution.

I had been doing what Dades is, using the volume buttons on my phone in my pocket until the Apple Watch update gave me the ability to do it conveniently from my wrist. Although that is a little laggy and imprecise too.

Maybe a future version will have a sensor that can detect a sliding finger motion to control volume, a bit like a trackpad.

Doodah7

PC World have FINALLY got these in stock instore (not that you would ever know from their website - it is truly dire for a supposed tech company).

The kicker is that they are charging €199 for them!!! Of course they do price match others but why reward them for that??

Bob24

Doodah7 wrote: »

The kicker is that they are charging €199 for them!!! Of course they do price match others but why reward them for that??

That’s a bit of a joke alright. I’m even wondering if they are technically allowed to do it as Apple tends to lock prices in their contracts with resellers.

Creamy Goodness

Doodah7 wrote: »

PC World have FINALLY got these in stock instore (not that you would ever know from their website - it is truly dire for a supposed tech company).

The kicker is that they are charging €199 for them!!! Of course they do price match others but why reward them for that??

Why would you not just buy from someone else (Unless you've a voucher or something you can't get rid of)? I got burned by PC World pretty badly around 1996/7 and haven't gone back.

Dades

You can walk into CompuB or Argos stores and buy them for the Apple price, and they seem to have stock in most places. PC World really are aiming for the clueless buyer, which are rare with 'premium' products. Anyone who spends 30 seconds on Google will see they're overpriced there.

DubDJ

Argos always seem to add a bit to the prices of anything Apple makes too. It was always one of the few places that actually sold stuff more expensive than Apple.

Gregor Samsa

DubDJ wrote: »

Argos always seem to add a bit to the prices of anything Apple makes too. It was always one of the few places that actually sold stuff more expensive than Apple.

Argos have the AirPods for €179, the exact same as Apple.

When I got mine in August, Argos we’re giving a €10 voucher with purchases over €100. I went in to buy a Dremel multitool, and happened to spot the AirPods in stock (Apple were 4 weeks backorder at the time). When I went to buy the two of them, the assistant told be to buy the Dremel in one transaction, get the voucher, then use it immediately against the AipPods in a second transaction. Handy way of getting them cheaper when I was buying the Dremel anyway

DubDJ

A lot of other accessories (eg Apple Pencil, Smart Keyboard cover) are more expensive though. It’s strange how they increase prices for certain things.

Marty Bird

DubDJ wrote: »

Argos always seem to add a bit to the prices of anything Apple makes too. It was always one of the few places that actually sold stuff more expensive than Apple.

Argos were selling the 256GB iPad Pro 10.5 for €705 a couple of weeks ago pre the price jump from Apple post the keynote.

DubDJ

Marty Bird wrote: »

Argos were selling the 256GB iPad Pro 10.5 for €705 a couple of weeks ago pre the price jump from Apple post the keynote.

The RRP was the same as Apple though, they do sometimes offer good discounts.

My point was that Argos add their own ‘tax’ onto certain Apple devices. It’s strange as Apple usually encourage standard pricing for resellers, in the flip side of that though it usually means there aren’t a lot of amazing deals on Apple stuff. The US seems to get pretty steep discounts regularly through the bigger mega-chains though.

DubDJ

Marty Bird wrote: »

Argos were selling the 256GB iPad Pro 10.5 for €705 a couple of weeks ago pre the price jump from Apple post the keynote.

The RRP was the same as Apple though, they do sometimes offer good discounts.

My point was that Argos add their own ‘tax’ onto certain Apple devices. It’s strange as Apple usually encourage standard pricing for resellers, in the flip side of that though it usually means there aren’t a lot of amazing deals on Apple stuff. The US seems to get pretty steep discounts regularly through the bigger mega-chains though.

awec

CompuB in Dundrum always have loads of pairs any time I am in there.

Creamy Goodness

Didn’t want to start a new thread on this but google charging twice as much for a 3.5mm headphone jack.

https://twitter.com/mrdnomaid/status/915636281186701313
It’s makes a lot of arguments about Apple over charging moot.

Their google pixel buds look like a good beats x competitor too

DubDJ

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

Didn’t want to start a new thread on this but google charging twice as much for a 3.5mm headphone jack.

https://twitter.com/mrdnomaid/status/915636281186701313
It’s makes a lot of arguments about Apple over charging moot.

Their google pixel buds look like a good beats x competitor too

In fairness, that’s just one adapter. Most of the other stuff Google sell would be a lot less than some of Apple’s versions.

Saying that, Google has started to push towards the premium side of things with their new hardware lineup.