AirPods. Delightful innovation.
The AirPods seem to be the one recent product release from Apple which isn’t receiving a slew of negative attention. Though I’m not as bearish on Apple’s recent releases, I would agree that the AirPods are the strongest, and most exciting, of the 2016 lineup.
Pairing perfection. The pairing of these bluetooth buds is a smile inducing experience. So simple, it’s the way you’ve always wished bluetooth could be. But never is.
Sound is ??. I mean, not for an audiophile, but it’s great sound for the rest of us. Better bluetooth sound than I get from my bluetooth Bose over-the-ear setup. I’d even call it a touch better than EarPods.
Siri simplified. Double tapping a bud makes Siri more accessible than ever. Works very well - might even find it more accurate than ever. Better mic placement?
Weird. “They look weird”. Thanks, Mom ?. I actually agree with her… they have an unusual appearance because we’re used to ear buds having wires. I believe this will fade as more people own these. People are going to join me, right? RIGHT!?
Charging convenience. Coolest part is the battery filled case that charges the buds while not in your ears. Charging the case every few days will become yet another step in my charging routine. The case is beautiful - nice metal hinge and the buds sit perfectly inside - with a magnetic ‘snap’.
No rage inducing cable snags incidents. Just me? I go all ? when I catch my EarPod wire on something. My knee when tying my shoes. My cabinets when in the kitchen. Fishing them through jackets and scarves (being Canadian is hard). AirPods - just drop them in place and move about the world freely.
Lacking buttons. Agree with what others have said… miss the EarPod clicker control. No more physical volume/pause/skip buttons - though you can dedicate the bud tap gesture to play/pause vs. Siri. Using my phone through my pocket for volume works well. Using Siri to Pause works okay, but pulling a bud out also pauses the music ❤️.
Stay in place. The question I get asked most is, “do they fall out?”. For me, they stay perfectly in place. Even on long runs. That said, I also never had trouble with EarPods so that might be a good way to gauge how well they’ll work for you. Just watch out when pulling a sweater over you’re head - I’ve had them go flying a few times with this careless move. Right into my lunch.
Bottom line #
They’re expensive. They sound great. They improve Siri. They’re snag-free tangle-free easy listening - so much so that you sometimes forget you’re wearing them. I love them.
