
Apple's AirPods Are an Omen - pjrule
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/06/apples-airpods-are-an-omen/554537/?single_page=true
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crooked-v
> For one, earbuds will cease to perform any social signaling whatsoever.
> Today, having one’s earbuds in while talking suggests that you are on a
> phone call, for example. Having them in while silent is a sign of inner
> focus—a request for privacy. That’s why bothering someone with earbuds in is
> such a social faux-pas: They act as a do-not-disturb sign for the body. But
> if AirPods or similar devices become widespread, those cues will vanish.

...what? Nobody's going to walk around with earbuds in if they're not actually
using them for anything at the moment. The wireless part doesn't magically
make having something stuck in your ears less of an impediment for normal
activities.

This article is really grasping at straws.

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ggg9990
Well it’s possible that AirPods or other earbuds will eventually have
capabilities that allow you to hear much better than normally, like a
conversation 50 feet away or sounding an alarm when a relatively silent
electric car is approaching. In that case there may be a 16/7 use case for
them.

~~~
beenBoutIT
If that's the case there will be a disproportionate number of elderly users
wearing earbuds constantly as a 'discrete' hearing aid. Considering that the
price of an iPhone with AirPods is about the same as what one would pay for an
FDA approved hearing aid device, seniors everywhere will adopt them en masse.
There's elderly Americans everywhere, so the association between the elderly
and the iconic and highly visible AirPods should solidify quickly after the
release of iOS 12. This is the logical end or death of the AirPod trend as
"something cool", and the birth of the AirPod as "something that old people
need to function". Apple's moving into AARP & Jitterbug territory.

