Apple Airpods
In the cell phone repair business, we see a lot of new trends which come and go. One which might stay for a while is Apple’s Airpods.
After a number of comical photos of people with electric toothbrush heads in their ears, and complaints that the Airpods were going to fail because they’re too expensive, sure to get lost, the votes have been counted.
According to reports, 98% of the people who own Airpods would recommend them to a friend.
Functions
Looking at a few of the functions will give readers an idea of what they can expect:
Pairing is almost instant. There are no physical controls: functions are controlled by Siri, which is okay in your car, but not so much in public, although you can speak very softly. You can use your iPhone, as well. We will leave it up to you to decide the practicality of that. Users cite the lack of easy physical controls, saying the Siri/iPhone option is ‘slow’. If you’re a frequent song skipper, it will take some adjustment. If you happen to wander into an area without Siri, you’ll need to use your iPhone or watch.
What?
Infrared sensors determine when you’re wearing the AirPods. If you place both in your ears, they will play in stereo. Take one out, and the sound will pause. At that point, if you ask Siri (or your iPhone or watch) to resume play, the sound will be in mono until you put the other AirPod in, in which case stereo sound will resume. Users cite this as tremendously convenient when they’re listening and need to stop listening to interact with someone.
Users site their compact size and lightweight, yet reliable sound delivery as reasons they’re willing to sacrifice style. The charging dock/case has a magnetic closure and provides a long-lasting charge, which is good because there is no plug-in option if the charge runs out. The case can be charged by a Lightning port at the bottom.
Long life
The five-hour battery life is described as ‘amazing’. Because Airpods charge in their case, and because there’s really no place else to put them when you aren’t using them except back in the case, they go back to charging, and charging very fast, in just a few minutes.
Design
They come in standard Apple white. The design is similar to EarPods, but with a larger elongated piece trailing down from the actual earbud and a wireless W1 chip in each unit. The one-size-fits-some buds don’t have soft tips to contour to the size of your ear canal. However, since they aren’t held in place with pressure, the design affords long-listening comfort.
Hearing impaired addition
Apple is adding Live Listen to their Airpods, am iOS 12 feature. Which is essentially a program which turns an iPhone into a mic so that hearing-impaired people can hear a speaker in a noisy environment. Hearing impaired folks all over the world are doing a happy dance over this one.
Lost
The Finder app for AirPods, which was $3.99, was initially launched and then pulled from the market by Apple, who said they didn’t like the concept. Some speculate the $69 fee for replacing one was the primary motivator behind that move. Apple hasn’t commented.
Winner
The new AirPods are a win for Apple. “I love these things so much!” exclaimed a woman we met at a party last week. Whether or not they will suit you and your lifestyle depends on which factors of convenience appeal to you, personally.
Call us at 480-435-9330 if you need a highly-rated, expert cellphone repair company to repair your iPhone, Samsung, PS4, XBox, iPad or tablet.