Air Pods: are they worth it?

[TheForce]

Amazon product ASIN B00O5F2ZNQ
I bought 3 of these as they wear out on the belt loops. So far, the first one wore out in 14 months.

It's a bit loose for a 6 plus but I carry the following spare battery in the case behind the phone:

https://www.amazon.com/xtendapower-external-battery-upgraded-charging/dp/b00q60wdo4&tag=satell01-20


A bit of searching and I see a number of Air Pod owners have used a Zippo Lighter leather case with a belt loop to carry the Airpod case.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

I would expect the earpieces to be waterproof since they are meant to be used during exercise. IFixIt had a tear down of the Air Pods and battery case so maybe you can see why the washer did in your case.

I expected the washer to kill the case; through the lightning port. The pods themselves, even though they get sweaty, is different from being immersed. But they are good as new, and I can't tell any difference post wash.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Mine just arrived this morning! So easy to pair. The quality is quite good. I love how you can use voice control over the program.

I'm now searching for a small belt pouch to fix the charging case to my belt next to my iphone 6+ belt holster.

The pairing is literally the best of any device I've had. Just perfect.

 

[TheForce]

Here is the zippo Lighter Leather case that is a perfect fit for the AirPod case next to my iphone 6+ holster with recharge battery.

Amazon product ASIN B000WNC2W4
I used a razor blade to trim the opening more so the recharging port is in the clear. There are other styles too but I didn't want the Zippo logo. The fit is snug but not real tight. I put it in with the Airpod case hinge out so I can open and remove the Air Pods without taking the case out of the Zippo pouch.

 

[dishfan82]

So what makes the Air pods so much better than the competition?


Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

 

[navychop]

Brand name.

 

[TheForce]

So what makes the Air pods so much better than the competition?


Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

I don't know what is the competition? The way they operate is just really perfect and there are no cords and wires to fiddle with. The sound quality is amazing and I never have a problem with the voice commands using Siri. It just works. Good battery life too. Usually about 3-4 hours and then pop them in the case for 15 minutes and good to go for another few hours of listening. I like them for my audio books. I use them with ipad and iphone.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

I don't know what is the competition? The way they operate is just really perfect and there are no cords and wires to fiddle with. The sound quality is amazing and I never have a problem with the voice commands using Siri. It just works. Good battery life too. Usually about 3-4 hours and then pop them in the case for 15 minutes and good to go for another few hours of listening. I like them for my audio books. I use them with ipad and iphone.

Agreed. There is no comparable competition. The Beats Pro are equally good quality, and powered by the same chip, but in my mind are inferior. The cable hangs around your neck and it is over the ear.

I am amazed by how the AirPods stay in my ear, when running, riding a bike, walking, they just stay put. They are comfortable.

They even will survive a trip through the washing machine (although the case won't -- that cost me $70 to replace).

At this point I have two sets of headphones, my AirPods, and my Bose QC20 NC in-ear buds. The Bose has a cable, but it does a remarkable job for its purpose (air travel, mowing the lawn, etc...). The Bose BT version has this strange neck band you have to use it with.

 

[TheForce]

Up until August 19, my daughter who has an iphone 7, was not a fan of the Apple watch nor the Airpods. Her husband has had an apple watch since the beginning and loves it. But August 19th she changed. That was her birthday and she got the Apple watch 2 and airpods. Now she says she doesn't know why she resisted all this time. Even though she has a small wrist, she got the 42mm size for battery life. They now have charging stations by the bed and use the alarm clock feature. She does the treadmill and says running on it the airpods never fall out, like the wired ones did. I'm not familiar with those but I believe she said they are the Beats Pro. I only ever used the Apple ones that came with the iphones and they seem to work fine too, but the Airpods are better sound fidelity and easier to use. The charging system is very innovative.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

I do have one issue with my airpods, and it might just be due to ios 11 but I don't know. Often when I open the case, it takes longer, and sometimes only recognizes the right pod. I close the case and then re-open it, and then it is back to normal.

But once in, they are rock solid, and never fall out. The extra weight of the airpod I think helps keep them in.

 

[TheForce]

I never gave it much thought but I only get single air pod play on the right. Not the left only. But if I put both in they fire right up as long as something is playing on the phone.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

In iOS 11 I have the double tap on the left set to play/stop and the right AirPod to Siri. I wonder if there is a bug there with that. It works when connected, but I wonder if the initial connection causes an issue. I'll change the settings and see.

I should also test by starting audio before connecting.

 

[IcEWoLF]

I got the airpods last month and love the battery life, while shopping it makes things so easy...just seamless.

The one drawback is, I can't work out while I have them on, they just slip out, no problems while walking and so on, just doesn't fit well when running or doing any type of exercise, I will probably get the earskin 2.0 which they say will help keep the phone in your ear while you work out.

I can literally go without recharging the case for almost a week.

 

[Foxbat]

It was hard to tell from the Apple Event Tuesday, but there may be a new AirPods charging case that supports Qi charging. They showed a demo of the AirPower charging pad with an iPhone X, ?Watch Series 3, and AirPods case being charged off the same mat.

 

[TheForce]

It was hard to tell from the Apple Event Tuesday, but there may be a new AirPods charging case that supports Qi charging. They showed a demo of the AirPower charging pad with an iPhone X, ?Watch Series 3, and AirPods case being charged off the same mat.

They said it will be available as an optional case. So you will have to buy it separately. I couldn't find it on the web site so it probably isn't out yet. I'm just happy they will still offer the Lightning port. I have two cords and a watch mag in each car and a couple stations for charging around the house.

 

[IcEWoLF]

The AirPod will be the same, just a new case, it won't be released this year, expect it to come out next year when the Qi charging docks are released...
But at that point I am not gonna buy an overpriced apple wireless charger, I will probably buy a third party one.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

The idea of the wireless charging case is nice, but unless my case goes bad, I don't see it as a concern or need. I stick them on a lighting cable every 4 or 5 days, and all is good.

 

[TheForce]

The AirPod will be the same, just a new case, it won't be released this year, expect it to come out next year when the Qi charging docks are released...
But at that point I am not gonna buy an overpriced apple wireless charger, I will probably buy a third party one.

I did a little research on those and they aren't all that expensive on Amazon. Lots of varieties too. I saw one that was a car mount gripper with mag charger in the back. That is pretty cool idea.


At this early point, I'm gonna get the watch 3 right away and then see what this X is for screen quality. I've been wanting water proof for a long time now. I want to see it run one of my YT 360VR videos for image quality. I have a set of iphone clip-on lenses that turn the iphone into 360 VR goggles that are no bigger than a pair of glasses. Great for 360 VR viewing on the go. Then- how to buy? I need to do some homework on the rental aspect, pros and cons. I don't see me paying cash for a first gen X if down the road in a year they do get a 4K screen.

 

[Foxbat]

What some clever builder needs to do is come up with a way to use two ?Watches as the screens for a VR goggle. I know the resolution isn't the highest, but the weight would be reasonable!

 

[TheForce]

Apple listed the wireless charging case as an option for $69. $10 higher than what I estimated. Not available until next year.