Airpods - Who's keen?

iOS
#62

My sources say Brisbane CBD store sold out within 10 minutes this morning. YMMV, but I’d say you would have missed the train for today.

#63

Anyone got a pair today and decided they no longer want it, let me know, I’m in the market. :wink: I couldn’t make it in to the store in person because of work.

1 Like
#64

Doncaster had a pair! Phew. Christmas is saved. :wink:

2 Likes
#66

So far so good with mine. My observations so far.

  • Pairing is great. Switching between devices is really easy.

  • I’d say the sound is just good (hard to get good bass without any kind of seal). No seal also means no isolation, which is good if you want to hear things like traffic but bad if you want to drown out the sounds of the office.

  • It is really easy to forget I had them on after a while.

  • I feel like I would lose the case before I lose an AirPod.

#67

Nice, a few questions for those of you with a set:

  • Soundwise how do they perform? I’m guessing they would be pretty close to the corded EarPods.
  • Overall fit and finish - what’s it like does it feel ‘Apply’ or is it a bit cheap?
  • Siri integration - how’s this holding up and is it a pain in the arse to change volume through siri only?

I know this stuff is covered in most reviews but I am interested to hear from real-world users rather than the reviewers.

#68

As much as I’m intrigued by the concept of truly wireless earphones with Apple’s special wireless sauce, I can’t bring myself to justify spending the money when a) I already have a great pair of wireless in-ears and b) regular EarPods fall out of my ears easily, I can see these being similar in that respect.

I want to like AirPods, but as it is they’re a downgrade in every aspect that I care about.

That said, I’ve also heard you can try them out in store, so maybe I’ll do that before making a final decision.

#69

How do they manage hygiene if you can try them on in the store? Just curious.

#70

I’d buy these, but I have a pair of hearing aids which connect to my iPhone via Bluetooth and can stream music and phone calls and all other audio. :smiley:

2 Likes
#71

Mine were supposed to arrive today, but instead I got a “Sorry we missed you” card from TNT, but I was home all day!

Now have to pick up at the TNT Exchange. I hate TNT.

#72

I think they aren’t dramatically better, but they do seem to sound better to me. Crisper, basically if you’re happy with the sound that EarPods provide, you’ll definitely be happy with the sound the AirPods provide.

They don’t feel cheap, but I don’t think EarPods feel cheap so they are pretty similar in feel. They do appear nicer looking than EarPods though to me.

For asking Siri to do one off tasks like ‘shuffle all music’ or ‘play my recently added playlist’ it’s good, but for me I find adjusting volume or changing tracks with Siri to be tedious. To change volume I just feel for the volume buttons on the phone through my jeans, or I use my Apple Watch.

Overall I’m pretty happy with the purchase, definitely no regrets. It does suck up it’s fair share of iPhone battery but I did use it non stop for five hours as I went about my day. I should also mention that when using it I also had my Pokémon Go plus connected for probably three hours or more and also my Apple Watch constantly connected. So for the most part, I had three Bluetooth devices connected at once.

It’s as easy to pair as people say, and the charging case I keep in that small pocket that most pairs of jeans have within the front right pocket.

Also what I plan on doing is buying an iPhone dock, and sticking the charging case on that at night. Seems like a convenient way to charge it seeing as the lightning port is on the bottom. I tried this at the Apple Store on one of their demo docks, seems like a good place to keep it when at home.

I also did try watching videos on it, everything was in sync so there’s no delay. On the negative side though, and to be honest it’s not a big deal, but it did lose connection maybe three times for a split second, though the connection may have been interrupted. It was only those few times, so it wasn’t enough to be an issue for me.

Overall, I definitely recommend these for anyone who hasn’t got Bluetooth headphones yet, definitely a good way to go if you’re looking at that route.

1 Like
#73

I agree that’s not cool if you were home all day, but MAN I prefer the TNT Local Exchange to the old game of calling up to organise a new time!

#74

Just picked up my AirPods!

My first impressions are:

  • Sound - they sound really good. I don’t have any problems with the sound quality at all. I usually use in-ear earphones (which provide sound isolation), so I do miss being able to cut out ambient noise, but they sound just as good as my other earphones.

  • Nice compact package - I like that the charging case and earphones are so small. With the iPhone 7, I ended up walking around with a bunch or accessories. Bluetooth earphones, a small charging cable, backup wired earphones and the lighting to 3.5mm adapter. That took up a lot of space in my pocket. Now with the ability to charge the earphones on the go, I don’t feel I need to carry the other accessories anymore as I am not going to be without a set of earphones with a charge. There were too many times when my bluetooth earphones died on me mid commute so I carried a spare set of wired earphones with me.

  • Fit & finish - They fit my ears fine. When I first got them, the left airpod felt like it might fall out, but it was just a matter of re-positioning it in my ear and now it’s fine. The finish of the product (like all Apple stuff) is pretty good.

  • Siri Controls - The Siri controls work fine, but they don’t work with all players (I guess the developers need to build that into their app). I listen to podcasts using Downcast, but Siri was not able to control any playback functions in Downcast. The Siri controls in the music app were fine though.

  • Look - My wife thinks they look like I am wearing earrings, and laughed when I first wore them. Oh well, I guess until they become more mainstream, that’s a price I will have to pay.

#75

Well there you go - Apple have exceeded their ‘ship by January 2nd’ estimate! Two sets on the way ETA delivery tomorrow!(one of which is now unneeded and going to Erwin). :slight_smile:

3 Likes
#76

It’s all mine!!!

1 Like
#77

Dammit! 8/2/2016 for in store pickup it seems.

#78

Saw a pair in the wild for the first time today. They do look a little ridiculous.

1 Like
#79

Might have been me, I wear them everywhere lol.

#80

Are you a slightly tubby nerd who got off the train at Deer Park? In that case, yes.

#81

No, not me. Good to hear they’re out there being worn proudly lol.

#82

Clearly then Dan does not look ridiculous as he is a tall supermodel of god like appearance. He can wear anything.