Apple reinvents the wireless headphone with AirPods
http://nr.apple.com/dE0B8o6R4Y
Introducing an Effortless Wireless Listening Experience Packed with High-Quality Audio & Long Battery Life
http://www.apple.com/newsroom/2016/09/apple-reinvents-the-wireless-headphones-with-airpods.html?imgid=1473126006674
AirPods introduce an effortless wireless listening experience that has never been possible before, packed with high quality audio and long battery life.
San Francisco — Apple today introduced AirPods, innovative new wireless headphones that use advanced technology to reinvent how we listen to music, make phone calls, enjoy TV shows and movies, play games and interact with Siri, providing a wireless audio experience not possible before. AirPods eliminate the hassles of wireless headphones, by just flipping open the lid of its innovative charging case and with one tap, they are instantly set up and ready to work with your iPhone and Apple Watch. Advanced sensors know when you are listening and automatically play and pause your music. Using Siri, AirPods allow you to access your favorite personal assistant with just a double tap. This revolutionary experience is enabled by the new ultra-low power Apple W1 chip, which enables AirPods to deliver high-quality audio and industry-leading battery life in a completely wireless design. AirPods will be available starting in late October.
http://www.apple.com/newsroom/2016/09/apple-reinvents-the-wireless-headphones-with-airpods.html?imgid=1473205329248
AirPods are simple and magical to use, with no switches or buttons, and let you access Siri with just a double tap.
“AirPods are the first headphones to deliver a breakthrough wireless audio experience, and with the new Apple W1 chip they deliver innovative features including high quality sound, great battery life and automatic setup,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “AirPods are simple and magical to use, with no switches or buttons, automatically connecting to all your Apple devices simply and seamlessly, and letting you access Siri with just a double tap. We can’t wait for users to try them with iPhone 7 and Apple Watch Series 2.”
With AirPods, setting up and using wireless headphones has never been easier. Just open the charging case near your iPhone and with a simple tap, AirPods are immediately set up with all the devices signed into your iCloud account, including your iPad and Mac. AirPods are connected and ready to go when you are, just put them in your ears when you want to listen. AirPods can intelligently and seamlessly switch from a call on your iPhone to listening to music on your Apple Watch.
http://www.apple.com/newsroom/2016/09/apple-reinvents-the-wireless-headphones-with-airpods.html?imgid=1473026330173
AirPods eliminate the hassles of wireless headphones, just open the charging case near your iPhone and with a simple tap, AirPods are immediately set up.
The all new Apple W1 chip enables the groundbreaking innovations in AirPods, with dual optical sensors and accelerometers in each AirPod that work with the W1 chip to detect when AirPods are in your ear, so they only play when you are ready to listen. Simply remove them to automatically pause the music, or just remove one to have a conversation and automatically resume when you put it back. Access Siri with a double tap to your AirPods to select and control your music, change the volume, check your battery life or perform any other Siri task. An additional accelerometer in each AirPod detects when you’re speaking, enabling a pair of beam-forming microphones to focus on the sound of your voice, filtering out external noise to make your voice sound clearer than ever before.
The ultra-low power Apple W1 chip operates at one-third of the power of traditional wireless chips, enabling AirPods to deliver up to 5 hours of listening time on one charge. The custom-designed charging case holds additional charges, for an industry-leading more than 24 hours of total listening time,* ensuring AirPods are charged and ready to go whenever you are.
http://www.apple.com/newsroom/2016/09/apple-reinvents-the-wireless-headphones-with-airpods.html?imgid=1473026289094
AirPods deliver up to 5 hours of listening time on one charge and an industry-leading more than 24 hours of total listening time with the custom-designed charging case.
Pricing & Availability
The new Apple-designed wireless AirPods including charging case will be available for $159 (US) from apple.com and Apple Stores beginning in late October.
AirPods require Apple devices running iOS 10, watchOS 3 or macOS Sierra.
Apple AirPods will reinvent the wireless headphone experience
Watch video
Photos of Apple AirPods
Download all
Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV. Apple’s four software platforms — iOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay and iCloud. Apple’s 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it.
Overview
Wireless. Effortless. Magical.
AirPods will forever change the way you use headphones. Whenever you pull your AirPods out of the charging case, they instantly turn on and connect to your iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, or Mac.(1) Audio automatically plays as soon as you put them in your ears and pauses when you take them out. To adjust the volume, change the song, make a call, or even get directions, just double-tap to activate Siri.
Driven by the custom Apple W1 chip, AirPods use optical sensors and a motion accelerometer to detect when they’re in your ears. Whether you’re using both AirPods or just one, the W1 chip automatically routes the audio and engages the microphone. And when you’re on a call or talking to Siri, an additional accelerometer works with beamforming microphones to filter out background noise and focus on the sound of your voice. Because the ultralow-power W1 chip manages battery life so well, AirPods deliver an industry-leading 5 hours of listening time on one charge.(2) And they’re made to keep up with you, thanks to a charging case that holds multiple additional charges for more than 24 hours of listening time.(3) Need a quick charge? Just 15 minutes in the case gives you 3 hours of listening time.(4)
Highlights
Designed by Apple
Automatically on, automatically connected
One-tap setup for all your Apple devices(1)
Quick access to Siri with a double-tap
More than 24-hour battery life with Charging Case(3)
Charges quickly in the case
Rich, high-quality audio and voice
Seamless switching between devices
Tech Specs
Bluetooth
Weight
AirPods (each): 0.14 ounces (4 g)
Charging Case: 1.34 ounces (38 g)
Dimensions
AirPods (each): 0.65 by 0.71 by 1.59 inches (16.5 by 18.0 by 40.5 mm)
Charging Case: 1.74 by 0.84 by 2.11 inches (44.3 by 21.3 by 53.5 mm)
Connections
AirPods: Bluetooth
Charging Case: Lightning connector
AirPods Sensors (each):
Dual beam-forming microphones
Dual optical sensors
Motion-detecting accelerometer
Speech-detecting accelerometer
Power and Battery
AirPods with Charging Case: More than 24 hours listening time,(3) up to 11 hours talk time(6)
AirPods (single charge): Up to 5 hours listening time,(2) Up to 2 hours talk time(5)
15 minutes in the case equals 3 hours listening time(4) or over an hour of talk time(7)
System Requirements
iPhone, iPad and iPod touch models with iOS 10 or later
Apple Watch models with watchOS 3 or later
Mac models with macOS Sierra or laterAPPLE AIRPODS REVIEW: WIRELESS THAT WOWS, EARBUDS THAT DON'T
If wireless is the future, AirPods will only get some of us there
by Sean O'Kane@sokane1 Dec 20, 2016, 10:00am EST
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TWEET
LINKEDIN
Wireless is the future." That’s how Apple CEO Tim Cook justified removing the headphone jack from the newest line of iPhones. You won’t need a headphone jack in the future, Cook argued, because wires will be a thing of the past.
e of the first criticisms lobbed at AirPods — even on the day they were announced — was how they seemed too easy to lose. So we have to start with the way AirPods fit, or don’t fit, in your ears.
I cannot get them to stay in my ears for long periods of time. This isn’t a new problem for me — I’ve always had a hard time keeping AirPods’ wired predecessors, EarPods, in my ears. It was a side effect of Apple electing a one-size-fits-all, somewhat open-air design for EarPods, instead of designing earbuds that insert and form a full seal in your ears.
If you’ve had trouble with EarPods staying in your ears, there’s a good chance you’ll also struggle with AirPods. There are slight differences in the shapes, which you can see when you put them side by side — EarPods are a bit more round and AirPods are slightly more contoured, which makes them a bit more comfortable — and Apple says this means AirPods should fit more ears than EarPods.
IF EARPODS DON'T FIT YOU, THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE YOU'LL STRUGGLE WITH AIRPODS
That doesn’t mean AirPods stay in my ears, though. They don’t. Every time I wear AirPods it’s a constant battle to keep them in. They don’t fall out immediately, and when I first twist them in I can get what feels like a snug fit. But they inevitably slide out, especially in my right ear.
When this happens they wind up dangling on the outer cradle of my ear, where sudden or even not so sudden movements knock them loose. Standing up from my desk, turning my head too fast, chewing through a bag of pretzels, touching down on a runway in an airplane — these are all situations where AirPods popped out of one of my ears because I wasn’t constantly readjusting the fit.
Apple says that they’ve tested thousands of ear shapes and they think this design is robust enough to please most people. The Verge’s senior editor Lauren Goode has almost no problem with them — she’s even been able to work out with AirPods with no troubles. But I can't bring myself to be happy with AirPods because of this issue, and I've been looking forward to wireless earbuds for a while.
Apple is playing a numbers game here. The company is basically saying it thinks number of people who won’t be able to keep AirPods in their ear is small enough that they don’t need to change the design. And it’s a shame, because despite this problem, there is a lot that I like about AirPods — enough that I might have gotten over how strange they look.
For one, AirPods actually sound great, even better than EarPods. Apple claims the audio components are virtually the same between the two products, but there are noticeable differences in the output, especially in the low end. I actually gasped the first time I heard the bass drop in Childish Gambino’s "Me and Your Mama" when using AirPods. The same section didn't sound nearly as dynamic on EarPods.
AirPods reproduce music clearly for such tiny earbuds, though that’s provided you can get them to stay in your ear canal; the sound quality was harder to enjoy as the earbuds slid toward the outer part of my ear.
AIRPODS ACTUALLY SOUND GOOD
Apple also deserves enormous credit for solving the two biggest problems with Bluetooth earbuds, and Bluetooth headphones in general: pairing, and providing a robust connection. This is all thanks to the W1 chip that Apple introduced with AirPods and the two other Beats headphones that were announced in September.
W1 makes the initial pairing process with AirPods a breeze — the moment you flip the cap up on the carrying case, a screen pops up on your iPhone asking you to connect. From that point you ostensibly never have to look at the main Bluetooth menu again, because AirPods connect every time you take them out of the case. They’re always visible and accessible in iOS’ Control Center.
The W1 chip erases another Bluetooth headphone headache, too, which is using them across multiple devices. Once your AirPods are set up, it’s as easy as tapping on them in Control Center on whichever device you want to use them with, like iPhone, Apple Watch, or iPad. They also are automatically paired with macOS Sierra-equipped laptops.
The other thing that W1 does really well is it solves a problem unique to wireless earbuds. It’s hard to sync audio to two earbuds when you don’t have a wire running between them. Every other wireless earbud company starts by sending the audio signal to one earbud over Bluetooth. And it’s this first step that trips up most products — Bluetooth is awful at traveling through your body. This is why many wireless earbuds so far suffer from constant, irritating hiccups in the Bluetooth connection.
In most pairs, after establishing that initial connection, the first earbud relays the signal to the other one. But playback on that first earbud doesn’t start until the sync is achieved, which means you wind up dealing with latency of about 30–50 milliseconds. That’s fine for audio, but it means wireless earbuds often aren’t good for videos or games.
THE W1 CHIP SOLVES SOME OF BLUETOOTH'S BIGGEST PROBLEMS
Apple took a totally different approach with AirPods. Each AirPod is actually receiving its own Bluetooth channel independently at the same time, and it’s the W1 chip that handles the syncing. The result is very low latency and also a very reliable connection. This is an approach that every other wireless earbud company avoided, and yet Apple found a way to make it work very, very well.
W1 is Apple at its best — it’s a proprietary technology that solves real problems, helps open up new use cases, and pushes the industry forward. The trade-off is you just have to submit to some ecosystem lock-in.
AirPods lose some of their magic if you use them on Android — pairing and device switching involves the traditional slog through Bluetooth menus, for example. (The earbuds do have optical sensors that pause the music when you take them out, and this works on Android, too.) But the W1 chip is still so good that AirPods were one of the best-performing pairs of wireless earbuds that I’ve tested on an Android device.
Perhaps the thing I liked the best about Airpods, though, is the case. I’ve tested a lot of wireless earbuds so far and my biggest takeaway is that they’re only as good as the case they come with. You always need somewhere to stash the earbuds, and it helps if that case also charges them, too.
The AirPods case is one of the best around. The earbuds magnetically lock in to the point that you can’t even shake them loose, and it offers an extra day or so of battery life. It’s also small, meaning it fits comfortably in almost any pocket, and it’s also white so you won’t lose track of it in a bag.
The ability to constantly charge AirPods is comforting, but the battery life of the AirPods themselves is also fantastic. I got every bit of the five hours Apple promises, and that’s not even considering the fact that you’re almost never going to use these for five hours straight. My typical usage went something like: one or two hours of music playback, which would shave about 10 to 20 percent, and then a quick dip back in case before using them again, where they would be fully charged after only 10 or 15 minutes.
AIRPODS' CASE IS FANTASTIC
There are a few things about AirPods that I wanted to like but didn’t, such as Siri. Apple’s not the only company trying to bring AI and other smarts right to our ears, but AirPods are one of the first products to actually make it to the market.
Accessing Siri is easy — just double tap one of the earbuds and you summon the digital assistant like a genie. And AirPods do a decent job capturing your queries — that’s part of the reason for the long stems in the first place, to keep the microphones as close to your mouth as possible. But Siri’s inherent limitations — like its often unhelpful answers and inability to handle multiple follow-up questions — ruin the experience. The dream (or nightmare) of the tech from Her is on the horizon, but it’s still very much a dream. Phone calls, at least, work just as well as you would hope.
For all their internal tech, I do wish there were more ways to interact with AirPods. I’ve come to love having quick access to volume, play / pause, and track skipping on earbuds like Bragi’s. You can assign the double tap to perform play / pause in the iPhone’s settings menu, and it’s the default on Android. But the only way to adjust the volume using AirPods is to ask (and wait for) Siri to do it for you or pull out your phone.
Despite great battery life, wireless performance, and good sound, too much of my time with AirPods was spent fighting to keep them in my ears. I couldn’t stare down a bowl of ramen or navigate a puddle of New York City winter slush without worrying that the earbuds would meet their untimely fate. And at $69 a pop to replace a lost unit, it’s not a problem I’d want to deal with. It’s also a problem I’ve never had with any other wireless earbuds I’ve tested — especially because those companies ship an array of tips or rubber fit sleeves with their products.
That might not be the case for you, however. In fact, Apple’s betting it won’t be. So if you share Apple’s wireless dream, and EarPods fit you pretty well, there’s a good chance you’ll like AirPods, too. Just make sure you try them on first.
Photography by Amelia Holowaty Krales
Video by Phil Esposito
Edited by Dan Seifert
Correction: Apple released four pairs of W1-equipped headphones at the September event, not three, as this article previously stated.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdtHX15sXiU
.
http://nr.apple.com/dE0B8o6R4Y
Introducing an Effortless Wireless Listening Experience Packed with High-Quality Audio & Long Battery Life
http://www.apple.com/newsroom/2016/09/apple-reinvents-the-wireless-headphones-with-airpods.html?imgid=1473126006674
AirPods introduce an effortless wireless listening experience that has never been possible before, packed with high quality audio and long battery life.
San Francisco — Apple today introduced AirPods, innovative new wireless headphones that use advanced technology to reinvent how we listen to music, make phone calls, enjoy TV shows and movies, play games and interact with Siri, providing a wireless audio experience not possible before. AirPods eliminate the hassles of wireless headphones, by just flipping open the lid of its innovative charging case and with one tap, they are instantly set up and ready to work with your iPhone and Apple Watch. Advanced sensors know when you are listening and automatically play and pause your music. Using Siri, AirPods allow you to access your favorite personal assistant with just a double tap. This revolutionary experience is enabled by the new ultra-low power Apple W1 chip, which enables AirPods to deliver high-quality audio and industry-leading battery life in a completely wireless design. AirPods will be available starting in late October.
http://www.apple.com/newsroom/2016/09/apple-reinvents-the-wireless-headphones-with-airpods.html?imgid=1473205329248
AirPods are simple and magical to use, with no switches or buttons, and let you access Siri with just a double tap.
“AirPods are the first headphones to deliver a breakthrough wireless audio experience, and with the new Apple W1 chip they deliver innovative features including high quality sound, great battery life and automatic setup,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “AirPods are simple and magical to use, with no switches or buttons, automatically connecting to all your Apple devices simply and seamlessly, and letting you access Siri with just a double tap. We can’t wait for users to try them with iPhone 7 and Apple Watch Series 2.”
With AirPods, setting up and using wireless headphones has never been easier. Just open the charging case near your iPhone and with a simple tap, AirPods are immediately set up with all the devices signed into your iCloud account, including your iPad and Mac. AirPods are connected and ready to go when you are, just put them in your ears when you want to listen. AirPods can intelligently and seamlessly switch from a call on your iPhone to listening to music on your Apple Watch.
http://www.apple.com/newsroom/2016/09/apple-reinvents-the-wireless-headphones-with-airpods.html?imgid=1473026330173
AirPods eliminate the hassles of wireless headphones, just open the charging case near your iPhone and with a simple tap, AirPods are immediately set up.
The all new Apple W1 chip enables the groundbreaking innovations in AirPods, with dual optical sensors and accelerometers in each AirPod that work with the W1 chip to detect when AirPods are in your ear, so they only play when you are ready to listen. Simply remove them to automatically pause the music, or just remove one to have a conversation and automatically resume when you put it back. Access Siri with a double tap to your AirPods to select and control your music, change the volume, check your battery life or perform any other Siri task. An additional accelerometer in each AirPod detects when you’re speaking, enabling a pair of beam-forming microphones to focus on the sound of your voice, filtering out external noise to make your voice sound clearer than ever before.
The ultra-low power Apple W1 chip operates at one-third of the power of traditional wireless chips, enabling AirPods to deliver up to 5 hours of listening time on one charge. The custom-designed charging case holds additional charges, for an industry-leading more than 24 hours of total listening time,* ensuring AirPods are charged and ready to go whenever you are.
http://www.apple.com/newsroom/2016/09/apple-reinvents-the-wireless-headphones-with-airpods.html?imgid=1473026289094
AirPods deliver up to 5 hours of listening time on one charge and an industry-leading more than 24 hours of total listening time with the custom-designed charging case.
Pricing & Availability
The new Apple-designed wireless AirPods including charging case will be available for $159 (US) from apple.com and Apple Stores beginning in late October.
AirPods require Apple devices running iOS 10, watchOS 3 or macOS Sierra.
Apple AirPods will reinvent the wireless headphone experience
Watch video
Photos of Apple AirPods
Download all
Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV. Apple’s four software platforms — iOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay and iCloud. Apple’s 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it.
Overview
Wireless. Effortless. Magical.
AirPods will forever change the way you use headphones. Whenever you pull your AirPods out of the charging case, they instantly turn on and connect to your iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, or Mac.(1) Audio automatically plays as soon as you put them in your ears and pauses when you take them out. To adjust the volume, change the song, make a call, or even get directions, just double-tap to activate Siri.
Driven by the custom Apple W1 chip, AirPods use optical sensors and a motion accelerometer to detect when they’re in your ears. Whether you’re using both AirPods or just one, the W1 chip automatically routes the audio and engages the microphone. And when you’re on a call or talking to Siri, an additional accelerometer works with beamforming microphones to filter out background noise and focus on the sound of your voice. Because the ultralow-power W1 chip manages battery life so well, AirPods deliver an industry-leading 5 hours of listening time on one charge.(2) And they’re made to keep up with you, thanks to a charging case that holds multiple additional charges for more than 24 hours of listening time.(3) Need a quick charge? Just 15 minutes in the case gives you 3 hours of listening time.(4)
Highlights
Designed by Apple
Automatically on, automatically connected
One-tap setup for all your Apple devices(1)
Quick access to Siri with a double-tap
More than 24-hour battery life with Charging Case(3)
Charges quickly in the case
Rich, high-quality audio and voice
Seamless switching between devices
Tech Specs
Bluetooth
Weight
AirPods (each): 0.14 ounces (4 g)
Charging Case: 1.34 ounces (38 g)
Dimensions
AirPods (each): 0.65 by 0.71 by 1.59 inches (16.5 by 18.0 by 40.5 mm)
Charging Case: 1.74 by 0.84 by 2.11 inches (44.3 by 21.3 by 53.5 mm)
Connections
AirPods: Bluetooth
Charging Case: Lightning connector
AirPods Sensors (each):
Dual beam-forming microphones
Dual optical sensors
Motion-detecting accelerometer
Speech-detecting accelerometer
Power and Battery
AirPods with Charging Case: More than 24 hours listening time,(3) up to 11 hours talk time(6)
AirPods (single charge): Up to 5 hours listening time,(2) Up to 2 hours talk time(5)
15 minutes in the case equals 3 hours listening time(4) or over an hour of talk time(7)
System Requirements
iPhone, iPad and iPod touch models with iOS 10 or later
Apple Watch models with watchOS 3 or later
Mac models with macOS Sierra or laterAPPLE AIRPODS REVIEW: WIRELESS THAT WOWS, EARBUDS THAT DON'T
If wireless is the future, AirPods will only get some of us there
by Sean O'Kane@sokane1 Dec 20, 2016, 10:00am EST
SHARE
TWEET
Wireless is the future." That’s how Apple CEO Tim Cook justified removing the headphone jack from the newest line of iPhones. You won’t need a headphone jack in the future, Cook argued, because wires will be a thing of the past.
e of the first criticisms lobbed at AirPods — even on the day they were announced — was how they seemed too easy to lose. So we have to start with the way AirPods fit, or don’t fit, in your ears.
I cannot get them to stay in my ears for long periods of time. This isn’t a new problem for me — I’ve always had a hard time keeping AirPods’ wired predecessors, EarPods, in my ears. It was a side effect of Apple electing a one-size-fits-all, somewhat open-air design for EarPods, instead of designing earbuds that insert and form a full seal in your ears.
If you’ve had trouble with EarPods staying in your ears, there’s a good chance you’ll also struggle with AirPods. There are slight differences in the shapes, which you can see when you put them side by side — EarPods are a bit more round and AirPods are slightly more contoured, which makes them a bit more comfortable — and Apple says this means AirPods should fit more ears than EarPods.
IF EARPODS DON'T FIT YOU, THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE YOU'LL STRUGGLE WITH AIRPODS
That doesn’t mean AirPods stay in my ears, though. They don’t. Every time I wear AirPods it’s a constant battle to keep them in. They don’t fall out immediately, and when I first twist them in I can get what feels like a snug fit. But they inevitably slide out, especially in my right ear.
When this happens they wind up dangling on the outer cradle of my ear, where sudden or even not so sudden movements knock them loose. Standing up from my desk, turning my head too fast, chewing through a bag of pretzels, touching down on a runway in an airplane — these are all situations where AirPods popped out of one of my ears because I wasn’t constantly readjusting the fit.
Apple says that they’ve tested thousands of ear shapes and they think this design is robust enough to please most people. The Verge’s senior editor Lauren Goode has almost no problem with them — she’s even been able to work out with AirPods with no troubles. But I can't bring myself to be happy with AirPods because of this issue, and I've been looking forward to wireless earbuds for a while.
Apple is playing a numbers game here. The company is basically saying it thinks number of people who won’t be able to keep AirPods in their ear is small enough that they don’t need to change the design. And it’s a shame, because despite this problem, there is a lot that I like about AirPods — enough that I might have gotten over how strange they look.
For one, AirPods actually sound great, even better than EarPods. Apple claims the audio components are virtually the same between the two products, but there are noticeable differences in the output, especially in the low end. I actually gasped the first time I heard the bass drop in Childish Gambino’s "Me and Your Mama" when using AirPods. The same section didn't sound nearly as dynamic on EarPods.
AirPods reproduce music clearly for such tiny earbuds, though that’s provided you can get them to stay in your ear canal; the sound quality was harder to enjoy as the earbuds slid toward the outer part of my ear.
AIRPODS ACTUALLY SOUND GOOD
Apple also deserves enormous credit for solving the two biggest problems with Bluetooth earbuds, and Bluetooth headphones in general: pairing, and providing a robust connection. This is all thanks to the W1 chip that Apple introduced with AirPods and the two other Beats headphones that were announced in September.
W1 makes the initial pairing process with AirPods a breeze — the moment you flip the cap up on the carrying case, a screen pops up on your iPhone asking you to connect. From that point you ostensibly never have to look at the main Bluetooth menu again, because AirPods connect every time you take them out of the case. They’re always visible and accessible in iOS’ Control Center.
The W1 chip erases another Bluetooth headphone headache, too, which is using them across multiple devices. Once your AirPods are set up, it’s as easy as tapping on them in Control Center on whichever device you want to use them with, like iPhone, Apple Watch, or iPad. They also are automatically paired with macOS Sierra-equipped laptops.
The other thing that W1 does really well is it solves a problem unique to wireless earbuds. It’s hard to sync audio to two earbuds when you don’t have a wire running between them. Every other wireless earbud company starts by sending the audio signal to one earbud over Bluetooth. And it’s this first step that trips up most products — Bluetooth is awful at traveling through your body. This is why many wireless earbuds so far suffer from constant, irritating hiccups in the Bluetooth connection.
In most pairs, after establishing that initial connection, the first earbud relays the signal to the other one. But playback on that first earbud doesn’t start until the sync is achieved, which means you wind up dealing with latency of about 30–50 milliseconds. That’s fine for audio, but it means wireless earbuds often aren’t good for videos or games.
THE W1 CHIP SOLVES SOME OF BLUETOOTH'S BIGGEST PROBLEMS
Apple took a totally different approach with AirPods. Each AirPod is actually receiving its own Bluetooth channel independently at the same time, and it’s the W1 chip that handles the syncing. The result is very low latency and also a very reliable connection. This is an approach that every other wireless earbud company avoided, and yet Apple found a way to make it work very, very well.
W1 is Apple at its best — it’s a proprietary technology that solves real problems, helps open up new use cases, and pushes the industry forward. The trade-off is you just have to submit to some ecosystem lock-in.
AirPods lose some of their magic if you use them on Android — pairing and device switching involves the traditional slog through Bluetooth menus, for example. (The earbuds do have optical sensors that pause the music when you take them out, and this works on Android, too.) But the W1 chip is still so good that AirPods were one of the best-performing pairs of wireless earbuds that I’ve tested on an Android device.
Perhaps the thing I liked the best about Airpods, though, is the case. I’ve tested a lot of wireless earbuds so far and my biggest takeaway is that they’re only as good as the case they come with. You always need somewhere to stash the earbuds, and it helps if that case also charges them, too.
The AirPods case is one of the best around. The earbuds magnetically lock in to the point that you can’t even shake them loose, and it offers an extra day or so of battery life. It’s also small, meaning it fits comfortably in almost any pocket, and it’s also white so you won’t lose track of it in a bag.
The ability to constantly charge AirPods is comforting, but the battery life of the AirPods themselves is also fantastic. I got every bit of the five hours Apple promises, and that’s not even considering the fact that you’re almost never going to use these for five hours straight. My typical usage went something like: one or two hours of music playback, which would shave about 10 to 20 percent, and then a quick dip back in case before using them again, where they would be fully charged after only 10 or 15 minutes.
AIRPODS' CASE IS FANTASTIC
There are a few things about AirPods that I wanted to like but didn’t, such as Siri. Apple’s not the only company trying to bring AI and other smarts right to our ears, but AirPods are one of the first products to actually make it to the market.
Accessing Siri is easy — just double tap one of the earbuds and you summon the digital assistant like a genie. And AirPods do a decent job capturing your queries — that’s part of the reason for the long stems in the first place, to keep the microphones as close to your mouth as possible. But Siri’s inherent limitations — like its often unhelpful answers and inability to handle multiple follow-up questions — ruin the experience. The dream (or nightmare) of the tech from Her is on the horizon, but it’s still very much a dream. Phone calls, at least, work just as well as you would hope.
For all their internal tech, I do wish there were more ways to interact with AirPods. I’ve come to love having quick access to volume, play / pause, and track skipping on earbuds like Bragi’s. You can assign the double tap to perform play / pause in the iPhone’s settings menu, and it’s the default on Android. But the only way to adjust the volume using AirPods is to ask (and wait for) Siri to do it for you or pull out your phone.
Despite great battery life, wireless performance, and good sound, too much of my time with AirPods was spent fighting to keep them in my ears. I couldn’t stare down a bowl of ramen or navigate a puddle of New York City winter slush without worrying that the earbuds would meet their untimely fate. And at $69 a pop to replace a lost unit, it’s not a problem I’d want to deal with. It’s also a problem I’ve never had with any other wireless earbuds I’ve tested — especially because those companies ship an array of tips or rubber fit sleeves with their products.
That might not be the case for you, however. In fact, Apple’s betting it won’t be. So if you share Apple’s wireless dream, and EarPods fit you pretty well, there’s a good chance you’ll like AirPods, too. Just make sure you try them on first.
Photography by Amelia Holowaty Krales
Video by Phil Esposito
Edited by Dan Seifert
Correction: Apple released four pairs of W1-equipped headphones at the September event, not three, as this article previously stated.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdtHX15sXiU
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