Apple’s new wireless earphones, dubbed AirPods, were met with a lot of negative criticism following their unveiling on September 7th. Many claimed that AirPods were overpriced, ugly, too easy to lose, and nothing more than yet another pair of wireless headphones on the market. Apple gave a few lucky developers and tech bloggers a pair of AirPods the week after the iPhone 7 event, and it seems like the majority of these folks are hating on the product simply because they are failing to realize its potential and or appreciate the innovative new technology that had to be engineered in such a small form factor to make AirPods possible. Here are three reasons why AirPods don’t suck.
1. AirPods Are Truly Wireless
AirPods consist of two untethered earbuds that deliver sound to your ear without having to be connected to themselves or the device providing the audio source. Unlike AirPods, other pairs of “wireless” headphones that we’ve seen on the market consist of two earbuds connected by a cumbersome wire that is easily snagged on objects causing those earbuds to damage or fall out of your ear. Without any wires there is nothing weighing AirPods down while they rest comfortably in your ear. They are therefore less likely to fall out and you won’t have to spend time fiddling with those adjustable wires/cables that you may find on other wireless headphones such as PowerBeats.
2. AirPods Seamlessly Connect & Disconnect Once you pair AirPods with one of your Apple devices, they automatically pair to all of your other devices. AirPods utilize a small microprocessor called the W1 Chip to communicate with the latest software on your Mac and iOS devices (macOS Sierra & iOS 10). This allows AirPods to recognize devices associated with your Apple ID and automatically connect to whatever device you’re using while you wear them. With AirPods, whether it be your Apple Watch, iPhone, or Mac you don’t have to go through the tedious and time-consuming process of entering Bluetooth settings, turning on Bluetooth, holding down a button on your headphones until a light blinks, and clicking or tapping to connect, every time you want to listen to music. The moment you put AirPods in your ear, they’re automatically on and connected to whatever device you’re using.
3. AirPods Are Smart Each AirPod includes infrared sensors that are used to determine when they’re in your ear meaning you can leave one AirPod in your ear to use as a Bluetooth headset with top-grade background noise cancellation. AirPods will automatically pause your music when you take them out of your ear to save battery and you can also use them to remotely access Siri, the world’s most powerful AI assistant, with just a double tap. Unlike most popular wireless headphones which only last 4 hours on a full charge, AirPods last 5 hours and even come with a portable charging case that offers an extra 24 HOURS of battery life! What other wireless headphones on the market come with a carrying case that doubles as a charging hub? In addition, AirPods charge inductively meaning you just place them in their carrying case and they’re charging. That’s it. No more fumbling around with micro-usb when its time to charge. When it comes to charging the carrying case itself, that’s achieved with lightning; the same cable you use to charge your iPhone meaning there’s one less cord you need to pack when you travel with your wireless headphones.
What’s your take on AirPods? Will you be buying a pair when they come out later this month? Let us know in the comments below!
Solid review! I look forward to owning a pair when they come out.