Do AirPods make you look stupid?

[Tartarus]

Is it really safe to wear headphones (of any kind) while driving?

If it’s for hands free calling, that’s okay, but for listening music not so much.

 

[Tartarus]

In my opinion the saggy ear cigarette look is not good. If you combine it with the "ranting to yourself" appearance of hands-free phone use, it may lead to embarrassment and invention by mental health professionals.

I do the hands free talking part a lot while in public transport and have yet to see someone raise an eyebrow for it looking weird.
Most people are aware of the existence of the AirPods, so the novelty of it is gone by now.

 

[anony_mouse]

I do the hands free talking part a lot while in public transport and have yet to see someone raise an eyebrow for it looking weird.
Most people are aware of the existence of the AirPods, so the novelty of it is gone by now.

I'm a public transport user too and I have genuinely never seen anyone wearing earpods yet. I assumed they hadn't been launched. I have seen other "taxi driver"-style wireless headphones.

Please don't use handsfree mode on your phone when travelling by public transport. People tend to talk more loudly than when they hold the phone the their ear, and this is not always appreciated by other passengers.

 

[Tartarus]

I'm a public transport user too and I have genuinely never seen anyone wearing earpods yet. I assumed they hadn't been launched. I have seen other "taxi driver"-style wireless headphones.

Please don't use handsfree mode on your phone when travelling by public transport. People tend to talk more loudly than when they hold the phone the their ear, and this is not always appreciated by other passengers.

It’s AirPods. EarPods are the wired ones. And yes, I’m quite aware of the annoyance for others while talking on a phone, hands free or not. I’m also self aware and try to keep my voice down so not to bother others. I have yet to notice someone getting irritated by my talking.

The AirPods, albeit very scarce, became available in stores on January 8th of this year, also the day I got mine.

 

[Just_Me_D]

Is it really safe to wear headphones (of any kind) while driving?

Simply wearing “headphones” that are not of the noise cancellation type and while not listening to any audio through them should be quite safe, in my opinion. With that in mind, those who are considering wearing “headphones” while Driving should check their local and state laws before doing so.

Now in regard to “AirPods”, I typically only wear one at a time and I typically use it for communicating. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for me to have one of the AirPods in my ear while driving. I sometimes forget it’s in my ear.

 

[Quis89]

Genuine question - did Apple actually launch the earpods? I have never seen anyone using them.

This is a forum full of people with them with positive experiences. Of course they actually launched them, lol.

 

[mogelijk]

Okay, it looks weird. But honestly, it doesn't work any weirder than any other "wireless" earbuds. In many ways, I think the BeatsX look even weirder because of the way the wires typically seem too long and how they fit around the neck/head.

As truly wireless earbuds become more common, they'll look less and less weird. They may never look completely normal, since the Oral-B toothbrush in the ear look is a bit off, but most of the weirdness is just because we aren't used to earbuds with no wires at all.

 

[anony_mouse]

Okay, it looks weird. But honestly, it doesn't work any weirder than any other "wireless" earbuds. In many ways, I think the BeatsX look even weirder because of the way the wires typically seem too long and how they fit around the neck/head.

As truly wireless earbuds become more common, they'll look less and less weird. They may never look completely normal, since the Oral-B toothbrush in the ear look is a bit off, but most of the weirdness is just because we aren't used to earbuds with no wires at all.

Maybe wireless earpods won't become more common. The fact that they have to be charged is a very very big problem, and the fact that they are very expensive is also a problem.

Plus the fact that they look weird is a problem.

 

[Just_Me_D]

Maybe wireless earpods won't become more common. The fact that they have to be charged is a very very big problem, and the fact that they are very expensive is also a problem.

Plus the fact that they look weird is a problem.

Huh? Name a wireless headset that you know of that doesn’t need charging?

In regard to pricing, check out the below screenshot.



As for how they look, to some they look weird and to others they do not.

 

[anony_mouse]

Huh? Name a wireless headset that you know of that doesn’t need charging?

Exactly. So wireless headsets may well not become popular because they need recharging, and because they are very expensive. Both of these things a very very big problems.

I mean - $159 for a set of headphones that look like saggy ear cigarettes. $159! And the Skybuds are also bad - I'm not a fan of the provincial taxi driver look.

 

[mogelijk]

Maybe wireless earpods won't become more common. The fact that they have to be charged is a very very big problem, and the fact that they are very expensive is also a problem.

Plus the fact that they look weird is a problem.

They will become more common, they are far too convenient for people -- particularly when moving around, times when cords can get caught. The only question is how the style will change and what designs people come up with. The biggest issue is going to be the battery -- which seems to be one of the main reasons for the toothbrush look. I'm sure designers will try to find a way to cram similar size batteries in a way that it looks "better," it is just a question of how successful they'll be.

I have to wonder if we won't get a version of the AirPods that are in the air with different sized tips. Possibly some type of Beats version of them. At least one thought would be a design where they attempt to put the battery behind the ear, with some method of adjusting the fit for different sized ears.

 

[anony_mouse]

They will become more common.

We will see. I don't think so. Wireless headsets have been around since the mid-2000s and have never been very popular outside the provincial taxi driver market.

 

[Just_Me_D]

Exactly. So wireless headsets may well not become popular because they need recharging, and because they are very expensive. Both of these things a very very big problems.

I mean - $159 for a set of headphones that look like saggy ear cigarettes. $159! And the Skybuds are also bad - look suitable only for provincial taxi drivers.

Wireless headsets/Bluetooth earpieces have been around for years even before the smartphone so in essence, they’re already popular. I can’t even count the number of Bluetooth earpieces I’ve had for all of the various phones I’ve had since 1989.

 

[anony_mouse]

Wireless headsets/Bluetooth earpieces have been around for years even before the smartphone so in essence, they’re already popular. I can’t even count the number of Bluetooth earpieces I’ve had for all of the various phones I’ve had since 1989.

Define "popular". The only person I know who owned a wireless headset drove one of those small BMWs, two seater I think. This would have been in the mid 2000s.

 

[Just_Me_D]

Popular is the same as common, and I see people with wireless headsets / wireless earpieces of some sort all day every day. Here in the U.S., they are common.

 

[Tartarus]

Define "popular". The only person I know who owned a wireless headset drove one of those small BMWs, two seater I think. This would have been in the mid 2000s.

Every single friend I have used to have BT headsets to use in their car.
6 out of the 10 people in the train and bus have some sort of cordless thingie in/on their ears.
I am quite often in Turkey, often considered a second-world country and even there are the numbers not that much different in the major cities.

 

[Tartarus]

Exactly. So wireless headsets may well not become popular because they need recharging, and because they are very expensive. Both of these things a very very big problems.

I mean - $159 for a set of headphones that look like saggy ear cigarettes. $159! And the Skybuds are also bad - I'm not a fan of the provincial taxi driver look.

Recharging the AirPods is the last thing that could be inconvenient and a factor for people not to buy it.
It’s pretty simple. You have two thingies that go in each ear, when you’re done you put it back in the case and it gets charged automatically.

All you have to do is once or twice a week to stick your iPhone charge cable in the bottom of the case, et voilà, you’re good to go for another few days.

And I paid willingly and without hesitation €179 for the AirPods, even though I just bought a new wireless headphone the week before.
€179 is a very acceptable price for wireless headphones, especially for an Apple product and apparently a lot of people agree, as I see a lot of AirPods at the airport that I stop at during commute.

 

[anony_mouse]

Recharging the AirPods is the last thing that could be inconvenient and a factor for people not to buy it.
It’s pretty simple. Have to thingies that go in each ear, when you’re done you put it back in the case and it gets charged automatically.

All you have to do is once or twice a week to stick your iPhone charge cable in the bottom of the case, et voilà, you’re good to go for another few days.

And I paid willingly and without hesitation €179 for the AirPods, even though I just bought a new wireless headphone the week before.
€179 is a very acceptable price for wireless headphones, especially for an Apple product and apparently a lot of people agree, as I see a lot of AirPods on the airport that I stop at during commute.

I don't wish to be awkward for the sake of it, but that is really not the last thing that could be inconvenient. In fact, I would say it's one of the first things that could be inconvenient.

Also, I'm not saying the EUR179 is a bad price for wireless headphones. I am saying that EUR179 is a bad price for headphones.

 

[mogelijk]

Recharging the AirPods is the last thing that could be inconvenient and a factor for people not to buy it.
It’s pretty simple. Have to thingies that go in each ear, when you’re done you put it back in the case and it gets charged automatically.

All you have to do is once or twice a week to stick your iPhone charge cable in the bottom of the case, et voilà, you’re good to go for another few days.

And I paid willingly and without hesitation €179 for the AirPods, even though I just bought a new wireless headphone the week before.
€179 is a very acceptable price for wireless headphones, especially for an Apple product and apparently a lot of people agree, as I see a lot of AirPods at the airport that I stop at during commute.

Not to mention, Apple still can't keep the AirPods in stock after 8 months. The demand is clearly there for this type of product, even if it makes you look "silly."

 

[anony_mouse]

Every single friend I have used to have BT headsets to use in their car.
6 out of the 10 people in the train and bus have some sort of cordless thingie in/on their ears.
I am quite often in Turkey, often considered a second-world country and even there are the numbers not that much different in the major cities.

I don't know where you use the train and the bus (besides Turkey, obviously) but I travel a lot and I have never been on a train or bus where the use of wireless headphones is within two orders of magnitude of 6 people out of 10.

Edit: I actually doubt that the use of headphones of any kind is as high as 6 people out of 10.