
A year with AirPods, or, how my AirPods fell in the toilet and lived - whomann
http://stephencoyle.net/airpods-2017
======
artimaeis
Similar anecdotal experience here. Owned my AirPods for about a year now -
about a month in I was shaving and the right one fell into the sink full of
water.

Pulled it out pretty quick, rinsed it off, dried it with a towel, and it's
worked without issues.

I honestly feel like the AirPods are the most delightful product Apple has put
out in a long time. They're great.

~~~
coinme
Mine went through the washer and the dryer, though I figured out that they
were in the dryer after 15 minutes.

They still work perfectly.

~~~
maxsavin
I had a similar experience with their EarPods. I'm pretty sure it got ear wax
and all out too :)

It does feel like AirPods should be officially water proof though. (Especially
since the iPhone and Watch models that launched with it were waterproof.)

------
qudat
I love my AirPods. I use them as my daily work headphones as well as my
workout headphones.

My primary issue is that switching between my laptop and phone is not as
seamless as they make it seem. Regularly I have issues where when I switch
from one to the other, one of the devices doesn't want to let go of the
connection. I solved this by disconnecting first and then connecting to the
other device.

Also there are times when my iPhone refuses to connect to my airpods.

~~~
bennettfeely
I have a pair of earphones that are really magical. You never are unsure what
device you are connected to, and they connect instantly when plugged in. They
are compatible with almost every device from any company, even devices made 20
years ago.

Furthermore, the battery life on these things is phenomenal. In fact, I've
never charged them once since I got them, and they still work great.

~~~
n42
The biggest pro of AirPods for me is the lack of this cable. The case is the
size of a Zippo lighter. They fit easily into my pocket, they never get
tangled. They are so light weight without cable dangling down, or a headband
over my hair, or battery around the neck, that after putting them in my ears,
I will often forget they are there. They almost melt into the surroundings,
creating a totally different listening experience than I have ever had with
other headphones.

I was totally skeptical of the AirPods, but they are the best headphones I've
owned (from a practicality standpoint). I own a pair of $500 Sennheiser
Bluetooth headphones that go unused, except when traveling, where noice
cancellation is required.

My Beyerdynamic studio reference cans are now limited to gaming and audio
production.

AirPods win in every other category.

------
pookieinc
I think it's pretty safe to say that AirPods have really taken off and users
are highly satisfied by the product. Does anyone have other wireless earbuds
that they feel are comparable to AirPods? I purchased the Bragi headphones
when they first released a while back and while the sound quality is pretty
good and the fit is not bad, the syncing with my iPhone and the trouble with
pushing them into my ears because of the buttons are really making them an
annoyance (and not to mention, potentially damaging to my ears).

Would love to hear some comparable alternatives!

~~~
K-Wall
I really enjoy my pair of BeatsX. They have the same W1 chip as the AirPods
which makes pairing simple. They do have a cord between the buds but also have
an inline mic and volume / music controls.

They aren't as sexy as the AirPods but I was able to pick them up on sale for
$75 so I have no real gripes.

~~~
knolan
I have the similar PowerBeats3. W1 chip and connecting cable but a bigger
battery housing. I use them for cycling (I know) and they’re great. I think
the Bluetooth dropped out once in over a year. Battery life is great and they
just work.

Regular Apple ear pods fall out of my ears so I’m not so sure about AirPods.

------
cgore
I've had my airpods for about two months now and I really like them a lot.
They are small enough in their case that I usually carry them in my pocket,
which I didn't normally do with other earbuds, and so I've found I get to
listen to music in more situations, unexpectedly waiting in long lines or what
have you, which is nice.

I don't like them as much as my good aviator style headphones, but for earbuds
their sound quality is good.

~~~
denzil_correa
Do they routinely fall of your ears? Seemingly, this was the most common issue
or complaint against the adoption of AirPods.

~~~
nemothekid
I’ve had AirPods for a little over a month now and they have never fallen out
of my ears - they are sturdy enough where it’s not even a concern. And
thinking about it, why would AirPods fall out of your ears any more than wired
Apple earbuds.

The technology is really seamless - my only gripe with the product is battery
life. You can’t listen and charge at the same time, and I’ve never gotten all
day batter life. It makes it hard to use as a daily driver - I have my AirPods
for most situations and then a set of headphones for work on the laptop

~~~
officialjunk
i don't have airpods, but i've heard it mentioned that the weight of the wire
holds the wired style earpods down in the cradle of your ear more so than
airpods.

~~~
zwily
On the contrary, the wires seemed to pull them out more than anything else.
AirPods stay in my ears way better, with no discomfort.

~~~
wlesieutre
That's my experience from running with regular earbuds. Have to find a way to
hold my phone _just so_ to keep the cord from jostling them out. I've also
tried a phone arm-strap but couldn't work out a place that worked for the
headphones cable.

Don't have airpods, but I've heard nothing but great reviews so I'm thinking
about it. Wish they didn't cost so much.

------
gehsty
Super awesome product, definite advantages over traditional headphones or
other wireless headphones.

The only negative point I have with them is that they are now something that I
have to know where they are all the time eg I tap my pockets to confirm phone
wallet keys and now air pods.... I didn’t used to do that with normal
headphones.

~~~
TylerE
If only they had done the same thing around headphones that weren't
uncomfortable and sound like garbage.

~~~
zwily
I find them very comfortable. I couldn’t wear the previous ear pods at all,
but AirPods fit me great. YMMV of course.

They sound fine to me, I’m no audiophile.

------
j-kearl
When interning at Microsoft, Satya came to us one day to present about
customer engagement. What stuck with me most from his talk was how important
it is to find what he calls a "real fan" of your product. To him, this is the
kind of person who loves your work so much that they will go out of their way
to talk about it and recommend it to their friends and colleagues.

Since then, I've been looking for products I am a "fan" of. The only two that
have come up from the "big companies" are VS Code and AirPods. Maybe iMessage.
Kind of a shame that with all the millions/billions that have gone into
product development. Those 2/3 seem pretty wide spread; I'd be interested to
see what additional things others are fans of.

------
j_s
Reliable bluetooth may be finally hitting its stride (don't want to jinx
anything!).

A mono alternative (Rowkin Mini) currently $40:
[https://amzn.com/dp/B01IU5ZTKC](https://amzn.com/dp/B01IU5ZTKC) (here's a
referral, if you're feeling overly generous:
[http://amzn.to/2irAi7v](http://amzn.to/2irAi7v))

HN anecdatum:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15722049](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15722049)

> _That link is the exact model I have, though, and it 's been awesome; I
> might pick up a couple of spares just to have them against need._

------
jrs95
Only issue I've had with mine is that they seemed to get clogged relatively
easily. I suppose it's improved my hygiene though, now I clean my ears
multiple times a day to avoid getting any earwax in my AirPods

------
the_common_man
Unlike many commenters, I actively love products which have a wire. My mouse,
keyboard, headphones, chargers are all wired and I hope they remain that way.
Having to baby sit (charging) these devices is the last thing I want to do.
Besides, I have no issues with using my headphones during my run or biking.

And oh, the great thing about my headphones is that I never drop them in a
toilet/sink/river bed/all the water bodies other commenters have listed!

~~~
foxyv
I love wired devices too. Especially for anything that doesn't have to get
moved around. (Mouse, Keyboard, etc...)

Charge management is a pain in the butt. For anything wireless I like to be
able to plug it in while I'm using it. Too many bluetooth headphones won't
even work while they are plugged in...

------
sebazzz
> Semi-related to previous point, the ability to use Siri without dropping to
> a lower bit rate audio stream would be nice.

I assume this an inherent limitation of the underlying Bluetooth protocol? It
probably switches to calling mode. That is very noticeable, on any headphone.

------
visarga
I love them too, but they only last a few hours, not a whole day. Then you
need a wired headset.

~~~
saturdaysaint
This is a fair assessment, but the case charges them so fast that I almost
never even consider the battery life, despite using them all day.

------
zeveb
You know what'd be awesome? A sort of tether to prevent headphones from
falling onto the ground or into a toilet. If we made it out of wire, we could
even send the audio signal over it, which has the added benefit of reducing
audio latency and electronics cost. Why, we could even get away with
batteryless headphones: the future can be now!

~~~
JofArnold
I realise you are being sarcastic (which is a little weak) but this feels like
a good chance to point out you can buy third party covers that do this job
perfectly. You don't need wires; they just lightly lock into your ears.

