Launching as possibly one of the most anticipated Apple products of 2016, AirPods have finally arrived after months of delays, with customers in 100 countries able to order the wireless wonders through Apple’s online store as well as being able to pick the headphones up in retail stores across the globe.
Manufactured similarly to EarPods, which launched in 2012 alongside the iPhone 5, Apple’s newly introduced AirPods have been designed in a ‘One-Size-Fits-All’ package, meaning if Apple’s previous generation wired earphones didn’t fit the shape of your ear, unfortunately you’re out of luck this time around too.
For me, AirPods fit comfortably within my ears without me worrying about loosing a Pod when moving about. The sound on the AirPods is way better than the standard sound of Apple’s stock EarPods which come with the iPhone as default, with the quality of the base blowing me away… So much so I thought I could hear something crash in my living room when in reality it was part of the song I was listening to.
AirPods come in Apple’s simplistic packaging, with customers being provided the AirPods, a charging case, regulatory information/how-to guide as well as a lightning cable.
Although from day one I was hooked on the AirPods concept, there’s definitely room for improvement. For me, I’d love to see Apple add a loud audible tone or even flash a bright light when dropped or triggered from a users handset. While from my own testing AirPods didn’t fall when moving my head, if I were to loose them I can imagine it to be a challenge to find them again and without sugar-coating it; I’m don’t think they’re the worlds most attractive product when in-ear however, maybe that’s just be since the headphones are relatively new.
You know that little useless pocket inside the right pocket in pants? That’s my new AirPods pocket!
Negativity overwith; the long stem design of AirPods mean that the microphones within the earphones are close to the users mouth as well as making room for larger batteries and most importantly, giving the AirPods the ability to project a better sound. AirPods have a 5 hour battery life and can reach up to 24 hours of charge from the battery packed into the charging case and as far as I’m aware, no other similar product can do that.
Pairing your AirPods is incredibly easy; after pairing once with your iPhone, iCloud is used to sink the headphones across all your Apple devices, including the Mac. Unfortunately, Apple TV isn’t supported which means you’ll need to set that up manually. A feature I love about AirPods is that audio playback is paused whenever a Pod is removed from your ear, this is done by built-in accelerometers and sensors.
All in all I’m a huge AirPods fan. If traditional Apple EarPods worked for you then AirPods are certainly a product you should consider. If you’re like me, it’s a blessing that I’ll never need to worry about catching that darn wire again on the kitchen cabinets or around the office!