Prepare for a rant, because I’m mad. If you haven’t heard yet, Apple’s big iPhone event was yesterday. Among new iPhones, they also showed us some other products, like the Apple Watch Series 2. Another thing they showed us was AirPods. AirPods suck. Seriously. Have you seen these things? It looks like Apple put no thought into it whatsoever.
The Rumors Looked Cool
The picture above shows the rumored image of AirPods. I’ll admit it, these look pretty cool. They’re not amazing looking, but they look half way decent. It’s definitely possible as well, because there are current earbuds, such as the Bragi Dash and Samsung Gear IconX, offer similar appearance. Let me refresh your memory.. Here is what the new Apple AirPods look like:
The AirPods look like a cotton swab sticking out of your ears, and the case looks like the free dental floss your dentist throws at you. Need I say more?
Will AirPods Work With Other Platforms?
Apple does mention that the AirPods work via Bluetooth, so it would be natural that they would also function on other platforms (i.e. Android and Windows). Apple is also showing all sorts of “special” ways of connecting to it within iOS, which leaves me wondering – will AirPods work with Android? There will be no way to know for sure until we get our hands on them.
The Price Is Absurd
Want to purchase your own wireless cotton swabs that you’ll lose in a week? You can do that for just $159. Yes. $159. These earbuds feature a tiny, 5 hour battery life, and they can charge via a battery in their case for 24 additional hours of playback. Even if you can get over the look of this product, what was Apple thinking? $159 is terribly overpriced. Somehow, I’m not surprised.
Apple Crushed AirPods with Beats X
To make matters worse, Apple also announced the Beats X, which are new Bluetooth headphones. I’m no fan of Beats, but I can say that these will surely be better than AirPods.
The Beats X, while still overpriced at $149, are cheaper than AirPods. In addition, you won’t look like a complete idiot when wearing them. They sport a nice style that traditional Bluetooth earbuds do. Did I mention that they’re Bluetooth? So you can use them on any device.. not just your new glossy iPhone. The Beats X feature an 8 hour battery life, and claim to give you 2 hours of battery life with just 5 minutes of charging. Now that’s impressive.
Beats X Are Nice, Jaybird X2 Buds Are Nicer
While the Beats X are some solid Bluetooth earbuds, let’s step out of Apple’s box. There are much better options outside of Apple as a whole. Jaybird’s X2 earbuds are some amazing Bluetooth earbuds at just around $110 on Amazon. At $40 cheaper than Beats X, they pack the same 8 hour battery life, and they also have comfort fins to help the earbuds stay in your ears. They’re one of the best Bluetooth earbud options currently on the market.
Conclusion
Apple AirPods are extremely pointless. They’re overpriced, look ridiculous, and I could see you losing them in about a week. While Beats X are a better solution, Apple still has a lot of improvement to do in the wireless sound area.
