I’ll admit it, I’m a headphone junkie.
I don’t know why headphones appeal to me so much, I don’t really use them anymore unless I’m traveling or working out. But still, headphones call to me.
I’ve been through a few pair, but I wouldn’t say I’m an expect. I can say that out of all the headphones I’ve used, AirPods are by far my favorite.
Since my first pair came in, until I lost them and living without them for a while I think AirPods are the best headphones in a while.
Technology
The technology isn’t the reason these headphones are my favorite, but the technology inside these things add to their specialness.
While they weren’t the first to release completely wireless headphones, they were the first one to do it so easily.
I know that many people miss the headphone jack, and I completely understand, but I think we will see an advancement in Bluetooth soon. These headphones have a range I never would have anticipated from a pair of Bluetooth headphones, and I only see that improving with the technology.
Apple did what they are so good at doing though and that’s the ability to add little things that make such big impacts. They added the ability for the headphones to transition from mono to stereo depending on if you have both headphones in or not. It doesn’t seem like such a big deal, but getting to hear the entire sound range while only rocking one AirPod is pretty nice.
The thing that most people will probably notice though is that the music pauses when you take out one of the headphones.
It’s such a smart thing, that I’m surprised no one ever thought of before. Usually, when you are taking just headphone out, you’re trying to hear someone. So to make the music stop, is so smart. I love those little touches.
Convenience
The thing that I’ve noticed the most since I’ve lost my AirPods has been the size.
The AirPods and the case are almost the perfect size for taking your headphones with you everywhere. They fit in your pocket (or in my case out of my pocket, but that’s a different story) and are ready to go.
When I walk my dog, I love taking my headphones with me. When I had my AirPods (and when I currently use my wife’s) I just stick the case in my pocket and go. Every other pair of headphones that I’ve owned have been massive and hard to carry. Even the ones for working out.
The case fits inside the palm of my hand and I can’t even feel it in my pocket. If you were going to walk to meet someone it’s easy to just slip these away when you get there.
Also, when you aren’t using them, the case is charging them up so they’ll be fresh for you.
So What’s next?
While I love the AirPods, they could still be improved.
Sound
I think the sound that they produce is pretty good, but there’s always room for improvement. I’m sure that the engineers at Apple have learned a lot about audio since the HomePod was released. It’s doubtful that they could put any more tweeters in these things, but I bet they could improve the range somehow.
Noise cancellation
Going along with the sound, it would be nice to have better noise cancellation than just plugging up your ears. I would much rather have these in my ears on a flight than the big noise cancelling headphones. It would be really nice if the user could control the noise cancelling. That way, if you were running by a busy street, you could still hear the traffic.
Battery
The battery on this tiny things is actually pretty good for what it is. The case also holds a few charges on it so you can go pretty long before you actually need to plug your headphones in. But more battery life is always welcomed. Plus, for as expensive as these things are, if you are using regularly, that battery will degrade. The longer you can go between charges the better.
Also, wireless QI charging will be nice once they come out with that.
Control
When they were announced the only control the AirPods afforded the user was Siri through a double tap. They’ve since expanded that to allow the user to decide what happens when you double tap and you can further push that by labeling which ear does what with that. It would be nice if they could add some more controls like swiping your finger up the stem could increase the volume.
For now though, most of the control I use comes through the Now Playing screen on my Apple Watch.
Siri
I’m not trying to bash Siri. I use Siri all the time. I’ve used Siri even more since I got the HomePod and since Siri Shortcuts were introduced with iOS 12. Through the AirPods she does well with what she has. The rumor on this one is that they are adding “Hey Siri” to the next version. If that’s true than you can use that to invoke Siri, make one side tap play/pause and the other next track. That gives you 3 controls compared to the current 2. It will be nice.
But do we really need 1 more device that goes off with that phrase?
Wrap Up
I really hope that AirPods 2 are announced next week at the Apple Event. I’ve been waiting so long to replace my lost pair.
Do you have AirPods? Do you like them? What would you like to see in the next?
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