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In the metro cities and the airports of India — especially airports — I got real tired of seeing people sport their AirPods. I would think to myself every single time, “Hey, that looks so convenient!”
I could not have been more wrong. I now wish I didn’t buy a pair at all.
Generic downsides that will apply to most products.
To name a few downsides:
- They are not made to last. Can you replace the battery on these things? Nope! Even the original manufacturer would refuse it!
- Multi-fold higher cost than its wired counter-part. And that’s an under-statement.
- Needing to constantly charge it. One more gadget to charge. Ugh.
- Lossless audio isn’t supported over Bluetooth.
- Since they need to pack a lot of tech into the buds, it’s heavier.
- A good fit is difficult to find. It takes a lot of trial and error. If you live somewhere where returns aren’t a thing (hello India!), this won’t even be possible at all. Stuck with what you get the first time around.
- Personally, I’m always afraid of losing it — for example, dropping it in a place where recovering it is impossible. Or somewhere where damage is possible within seconds of the drop such as streets.
- Mic audio isn’t good enough and apparently can’t be.
- Fear of theft is also high enough on my list. If it’s expensive, and easy to carry, it’s at risk of theft.
AirPods specific downsides.
For AirPods specifically, there are a few more downsides:
Poor connection guess-game.
Apple devices never know which device I want the AirPods to connect to. Whatever algorithm is in place here, it’s crap.
I might be watching something on my iPad and open the AirPods next to it (is that even a thing?), and lo and behold, my iPhone is now connected to the AirPods. Thanks, Apple? I guess?
Inability to hold a connection.
OK, let’s assume I’ve set up the right device with the AirPods. You know what’s so, so, so annoying? That this connection drops randomly. I’ve been on phone calls where I hear a disconnection sound and I think to myself, “Is this what Apple makes for $225?”
Honestly, if this happens now, I don’t even bother reconnecting. It’s a whole charade. Better to just apologize for the missed sentence and hold a brick of a phone up (iPhone 13 Pro is heavy) next to my ear.
Doesn’t wake up properly.
Sometimes I need to pop it back into the case and then re-connect because only earpiece connected the first time for some weird reason.
I’ll say this once again:
TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS?
My current routine.
I now prefer my wired EarPods. Fraction of the cost, supports lossless audio, and I can wear it while exercising. It’s just better in so many ways.
It’s only on occasion I take out the AirPods — maybe I’m watching a movie in my bed, talking to someone in a secure space and don’t want my arm to hurt from the bulky iPhone 13 Pro, and a few more scenarios like this.
Hopefully this means they also last much longer by virtue of not being in active use? Fingers crossed.