AirPods. Things we know, not clear and would like to see in the future)

[matrix07]

I won't repeat things that's already clear to everyone. Just ones that got confirmed lately

Things we know:

• It will work with music with one earpiece. (mono) [confirmed by Jason Snell]
• Double tap while the phone ringing to receive call. [confirmed by Jason Snell]
• It will fit in your ears better than EarPods.
• Sounds better than EarPods.
• When you open the case for first pairing, be cautious not to close the lid before it's connected otherwise problem.
• When you take off one of earpiece, don't hold it in closed hand. It will think it's still in the ear.
• Both battery level of earpieces and case will be shown in Battery Widget on iPhone.
• Can set Double-Tap to either SIRI or Play/Pause.
• Can connect to every device on up to five iCloud accounts. This means that you can share AirPods between phones signed in to different accounts, which is great for sharing with your kids. [Confirmed by TechCrunch]
• Can also connect two pairs of AirPods to the same device, though you must switch between them and cannot use them both at the same time. [Confirmed by TechCrunch]

Things we are not clear:

• Thief-proof? Since it's paired with the box and the Bluetooth pairing button is also on the box, is this mechanic thief-proof? "Someone get your earpiece and he has no way to pair" sounds like thief-proof to me. Also even if someone steals your box, if you already pair, the pods will be synced to only your iCloud account. Double thief-proof?

Things we'd like to see:
(I know.. I know. It isn't released yet. Let me preface by saying I'll definitely order one immediately when I can. This is just for fun)

• Guest Mode: To allow your friends to listen to music on your iPhone at the same time. Maximum to another 2 pairs maybe.
• Lost Mode: If you lost your earpiece. There should be a button on your iPhone to route the sound (loudly) to the earpiece (that's not in the box).
• Touch-sensitive surface on the spine: To slide up/down for volume up/down.

Will update this post when we have more informations. If you have one you're welcome to share it here.

 

[pommie82]

I defiantly agree with lost suggestion because that the moment if you have lost one that is it you are out to the Apple Store to buy some more and at 160 quid they are a expensive item to be using for listening to music

I do like the idea of the Charging function when you put them back in the box and you are able to charge them back up and they are ready to use when you pull them out of the box again nothing worse when you are going along and you hear on the third party Bluetooth version battery level and it is nice not to have the pairing feature to where they just automatic connect with out doing the pairing which can be a pain at some times because it won't pair at all and you have to remove the re pairing and create a new connection to get it working again

 

[matrix07]

I do like the idea of the Charging function when you put them back in the box and you are able to charge them back up and they are ready to use when you pull them out of the box again nothing worse when you are going along and you hear on the third party Bluetooth version battery level and it is nice not to have the pairing feature to where they just automatic connect with out doing the pairing which can be a pain at some times because it won't pair at all and you have to remove the re pairing and create a new connection to get it working again

Yeah, I think this charging in the box makes AirPods superior to all 3 new Beat headphones for everyday use.

 

[NightStorm]

I'd like to know how sweat proof they are... these would be great for running with an Apple Watch (especially with the confirmed mono mode).

 

[bhayes444]

The lost mode functions would be nice, but I am pretty positive the touch controls on the stem will never happen with this version 1. Why? Because they don't exist. There are no touch controls on the airpods. The only way to interact with them is tapping, which activates an accelerometer in the earpiece.

 

[BradWould]

I'd like to find some solid info on range. Are they going to be standard Bluetooth range or improved? If the connection is a solid as advertised are we getting more distance out of it?

 

[BeatCrazy]

What about pairing with two different iPhones? I have a personal iPhone and a work iPhone, different Apple IDs. Do we think there will be a way to easily switch between devices in this example?

 

[AllergyDoc]

Adjusting volume through Siri is awkward at best. Picture gym rats wandering around, looking for free machines, muttering to Siri. This is my biggest complaint about the AirPods. I must admit, though, I'm becoming more interested in them by the day.

 

[skwood]

I'd like to know how sweat proof they are... these would be great for running with an Apple Watch (especially with the confirmed mono mode).

They mentioned that they are water-resistant using rain as an example so sweat should be..no sweat...

 

[matrix07]

I'd like to know how sweat proof they are... these would be great for running with an Apple Watch (especially with the confirmed mono mode).

It's not sweat proof, in the sense that Apple won't recommend you to use in sweaty situation but then again they don't recommend original Apple Watch users to go for a swim either and turns out some did it just fine. So it'll be up to you really.
I'll definitely test it with running though.
[doublepost=1473690745][/doublepost]

What about pairing with two different iPhones? I have a personal iPhone and a work iPhone, different Apple IDs. Do we think there will be a way to easily switch between devices in this example?

It's linked to your Apple ID so most likely, no.
Edit: Forgot to mention that you should be able to pair it to your other phone traditional style though.

 

[BradWould]

They mentioned that they are water-resistant using rain as an example so sweat should be..no sweat...

I watched the keynote and do not recall any mention of water resistance in relation to the AirPods. I may have missed it but I haven't found any mention of it on the Apple site either.

 

[pommie82]

i cannot wait to purchase a set i was going to buy another iPhone but i'am not going to bother because for this year the airpods would do the job for me and upgrade next year

i just wish they were more accurate with the date of the release of the airpods

 

[Mac 128]

• Guest Mode: To allow your friends to listen to music on your iPhone at the same time. Maximum to another 2 pairs maybe.

This is actually essential functionality in my opinion to replace the 3.5mm Jack.

Making pairing simple is a step in the right direction.

However, currently with a 3.5mm Jack if a person wants to play a song for someone, they unplug their headphones, and the other person plugs their's in. You don't always want to share something as intimate as an earbud. Assuming the other person has a W1 chip they should be able to just as easily pair into your phone. And eventually BT will have to adopt "easy pair" to make this viable cross platform.

Also, they should be able to join your audio program and share it with you. Since BT can already pair multiple devices to the same phone, I guess it's up to the phone to support multiple synchronous BT streams at once. Since this already requires an adapter/splitter for 3.5mm, I suppose an external dongle is not unreasonable, but wouldn't it be nice if the iPhone 7 actually improves the 3.5mm functionality over Lightning and BT rather than make it worse? Heck, how about pushing the bar and offering a "private party" option of up to 4 streams at once?

 

[tkukoc]

I'm kind of shocked that Apple didn't make a black edition of the airpods too. Considering they are changing over to lightning, adding the colorways probably would have had more people picking them up.

 

[pommie82]

I'm kind of shocked that Apple didn't make a black edition of the airpods too. Considering they are changing over to lightning, adding the colorways probably would have had more people picking them up.

i should of thought they would bring out different colours on the next generation come out in a couple of years time

 

[rockyromero]

What about pairing with two different iPhones? I have a personal iPhone and a work iPhone, different Apple IDs. Do we think there will be a way to easily switch between devices in this example?

Yes, I would like to pair to 2 phones.

I would like one Airpod playing music & the other streaming a podcast.

With educational lectures, the music makes it more pleasant to listen.

I would have the same iCloud ID.

➰
[doublepost=1473730526][/doublepost]

I'm kind of shocked that Apple didn't make a black edition of the airpods too. Considering they are changing over to lightning, adding the colorways probably would have had more people picking them up.

With one Billion white earbuds out in the world, having a black earbud or Airpods would be too radical.

I want a black version of the Airpods also.

The white ones scream Apple too much, although that would support the Apple brand.

➰

 

[matrix07]

New information from Jim Darymple.

• It will fit in your ears better than EarPods.
• Sounds better than EarPods.
• When you open the case for first pairing, be cautious not to close the lid before it's connected otherwise problem.
• When you take off one of earpiece, don't hold it in closed hand. It will think it's still in the ear.
• Both battery level of earpieces and case will be shown in Battery Widget on iPhone.
• Can set Double-Tap to either SIRI or Play/Pause.

[doublepost=1473768664][/doublepost]Also short review from Gruber.

Speaking of audio, I love AirPods. They’re so good, so clever, so well-designed, and such a pleasure to use that they deserve their own standalone review. They’re not cheap at $159, but they make the $199 Beats Powerbeats2 wireless headphones I bought last year look like a joke. They fit great for me — no wiggle at all. I wouldn’t hesitate to jog with them. I used them all day long the day I flew home from San Francisco to Philadelphia. I made a few phone calls, then played music throughout the flight. When I got in the door at home, the AirPods still had 44 percent of their charge, and the case was at like 80 percent or something like that.

 

[Mac 128]

New information from Jim Darymple.

• It will fit in your ears better than EarPods.
• Sounds better than EarPods.
• When you open the case for first pairing, be cautious not to close the lid before it's connected otherwise problem.
• When you take off one of earpiece, don't hold it in closed hand. It will think it's still in the ear.
• Both battery level of earpieces and case will be shown in Battery Widget on iPhone.
• Can set Double-Tap to either SIRI or Play/Pause.

[doublepost=1473768664][/doublepost]Also short review from Gruber.

Not really surprised that they sound better. I'm sure the transducers are higher quality, and likely the DAC and amp, both of which will make a big difference despite the BT compression quality.

Can't wait for the tear down to see what's in these ...

 

[matrix07]

From TechCrunch

The sound quality is very solid. Nice thumpy bass and crisp highs produce a very listenable sound, though it’s far from audiophile quality. These are very good and very loud earbuds that produce sound quality right in line with their $160 price. Because the seal (on my ear anyway) is so firm, and there are no cords to tug them around, they cancel outside noise very well (though there is no official noise-cancellation functionality).

Of course, your mileage may vary because ears are highly variable and they may not fit or stay in place. If the standard Apple earbuds do not fit your ears, it is highly unlikely that the AirPods will. However, if the standard earbuds fit, but do not stay in place, falling out while jogging or what have you, I would take a look at the AirPods still.

In fact, the AirPods stay in my ears incredibly well, not slipping while shaking my head or jogging or exercising. The biggest reason for this is they just have very little mass at all. With no cord, and next to no weight, there is nothing to pull them out of the ear. Whatever stress people had about them slipping out of a (compatible) ear, probably shouldn’t be given too much play.

About control.

To control them, you double tap, gently (tapping hard will likely lead to a sore tragus) to bring up Siri and then give Siri your commands. Double tapping while a phone is ringing will answer the phone call. That’s it. There are no other controls.

About SIRI

I did find, however, that speaking commands sotto voce — not whispering, but in a low register — worked just fine. The two beam-forming microphones and the accelerometer that detects when your jaw is moving make this one of the best in-ear microphone options I’ve used.

Tidbits

• You can connect the AirPods to every device on up to five iCloud accounts. This means that you can share AirPods between phones signed in to different accounts, which is great for sharing with your kids.
• You can also connect two pairs of AirPods to the same device, though you must switch between them and cannot use them both at the same time.

[doublepost=1473782904][/doublepost]

What about pairing with two different iPhones? I have a personal iPhone and a work iPhone, different Apple IDs. Do we think there will be a way to easily switch between devices in this example?

Looks like you can. Checks the edited first post.

 

[Good User Name]

The question that came to mind for me this morning is whether or not the Airpods are compatible with the AppleTV. If I can just switch audio focus to the AppleTV then I can basically have wireless headphones for the TV without buying some kit from Amazon.

 

[skwood]

The question that came to mind for me this morning is whether or not the Airpods are compatible with the AppleTV. If I can just switch audio focus to the AppleTV then I can basically have wireless headphones for the TV without buying some kit from Amazon.

Oooh now this is something that's very interesting...let's hope so!

 

[matrix07]

The question that came to mind for me this morning is whether or not the Airpods are compatible with the AppleTV. If I can just switch audio focus to the AppleTV then I can basically have wireless headphones for the TV without buying some kit from Amazon.

You can pair to it traditionally, with a button on the back of the case. Apple intentionally leave Apple TV out (for now). Some speculate that's because TV is a central home entertainment. There's no way to know who's using it at the time.

 

[Mosco]

I want to know what codec it uses with the iPhone and mac (if different)

 

[Mac 128]

I want to know what codec it uses with the iPhone and mac (if different)

What do you mean? It will likely be backward compatible with BT 4.2, possibly even firmware upgradable to BT 5, current Macs will only be able to connect at 4.2, new Macs will likely be able to connect using the W1 chip and BT 5 as well. I'm sure the W1 will ensure AAC encoding throughout, but otherwise, it'll be standard BT.

 

[Taco1933]

When you say pairs with the box, is that a one time deal? You don't need to carry the box around with you, do you?