Repairable earbuds are now here, so that’s pretty cool. https://shop.fairphone.com/fairbuds
It’s not for me because I like wired but it’s much better than apples.
Huh, no shipping to the US it seems. I guess I’ll be waiting for a while then.
They are planning to extend. I wouldn’t hold my breath though until they give a solid date.
Yup. They finally released the Fairphone after years, but it’s only the Fairphone 4, through a reseller, and only supports T-Mobile and its MVNOs.
So yeah, not sure if/when they’ll ship the buds to US customers.
Ugh. Gross I hate the in ear canal things. Absolutely the worst.
My problème is that all the non apple ear phones wireless suck. Iike the plain basic airpods for the ear fit. Not because apple.
How are Apple’s AirPods not “in ear canal things”?
I think they mean without a eartip. The airpod pro’s have them but all their other earbuds do not have eartips.
Ugh, i hate people that think only their view of the world is valid.
I don’t agree with them, but I also didnt read that they thought others weren’t valid. They seemed like they were just expressing that this isn’t a good option for them (or people like them)
Yeah relax with this agression or we gonna have Reddit all over again
Yeah, you might be right.
I mean, “all” is a pretty absolute statement.
Yeah maybe they are just talking from there perspective, but its so assuming, it just strikes me the wrong way.
Personally I like the muse headphones. Absolutely fantastic range for the price and if you are actually looking for audio quality + repairable they are great. The build quality is also top notch and compare with the $500+ range headphones. I don’t like how apples sound tbh. For that price it should sound better.
For everything else I just get wired or target brand wireless. The target brand for less than 10$ has lasted over 4 years lol.
I had some ghetto ones from Home Depot that lasted a few years as well. Decent battery life, reasonably comfortable, and inexpensive.
I now use Shokz bone conduction headphones for wireless, especially on my bike. For everything else, my wired cans work well.
Agree, the soft tip earbuds always fall out of my ears/don’t have a good seal. I couldn’t find ANY decent alternative to airpods, I’ve been using my airpod 3’s for over a year for 8+ hours a day. If someone knows of a secret headphone manufacturer that makes wireless buds with good battery life and non-soft tips, I’m ALL EARS
Lol funnily I’m the exact opposite. Apple’s “cupless” ear buds have never stayed in my ears, from the early iPod ones to airpods. I put them in and they’re just completely loose and immediately fall out if I turn my head.
Maybe my ears molded to them as a teenager 😂
Downvotes shall list better headphones.
I myself have not found a better solution.
I like apple headphones and i settled on similar shaped non-apple brand at a fraction af the price, but it is lower in quality compared to apple. Microphone is crap and I stopped trying to use it. Headphones level is good at low level and high level sound reproduction, but it is not as accurate as apple.
In the end the trade off is worth it to me for the price, but i will not claim at is better.
So, bring on your alternative and price of it.
Downvotes shall list better headphones.
Moondrop, Truthear, 7Hz.
And from the old guard Shure, Ultimate Ears, Westone.
Didn’t downvote but got cheaper earbuds myself because I was concerned about 1) losing them 2) the planned obsolescence.
https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/best/best-wireless-earbuds
I used a lot of sites to look up budget earbuds and YouTube mic tests (Apparently this guy still makes earbud comparison videos- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsMdI_q48ZA). I ended up with Earfun Air S and love them. Got them $50.
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
https://www.piped.video/watch?v=SsMdI_q48ZA
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source; check me out at GitHub.
I’ve never bought any Apple stuff so I can’t compare but I find Bose products nowadays to be extremely good quality, if a bit pricey
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 (Pro)? I am not an “audiophile” at all so I cannot judge whether they are going to be satisfactory to all those people that imagine they can hear certain tiny frequency contributions (which they cannot, the “audiophile” community is just delusional), but they’ve served me well for the past two years.
(which they cannot, the “audiophile” community is just delusional)
I don’t consider myself an audiophile, but I’m still offended on their behalf.
Having said that, after futzing a bit with the eq I do love my Buds 2 Pro.
No shit. And get this - The iPhone 7 did have enough space for a headphone jack.
I’m so angry that the 3.5 jack is gone… same with microsd slots…its such BS.
There’s still phones that have them, like Sony phones
True but in my market it’s basically samsung and apple at all the carriers. Hard to find alternatives.
There was no reason to get rid of the headphone jack. Funny enough, the microSD cards are designed to fail. When you’re using them in dash cams, cameras and drones they know they have to reach a certain bit rate and when they see that not happening they tell you that it’s time to format and/or replace. But using them as a supplemental file system in the phone is dicey. The difference between underperforming and being a problem is a line in the sand that Android has a mastered. Google even tried a series of tactics to make them less dodgy. They tried to make it where you can’t install apps out there. But even just putting media and other stuff out there when the operating system goes to check the storage driver can cause hiccups and lags and weird problems.
If SD cards weren’t almost all disposable trash we might be able to use them in our phones without creating any performance or support nightmares.
The kinda depends on what SD card you buy. Don’t buy crap cards.
Also SD cards work well enough for the Switch and Steam Deck, and that’s objectively way more demanding than storing a few images on a phone.
The vast majority of SD cards are made in the same factory and just branded differently.
Switch and steam deck Don’t constantly try to enumerate/scan the entire file system. Putting game binaries is a one and done. Writing save files is a trickle every couple of minutes.
Android really does abuse the hell out of those cards.
It’s not like games just read once from the SD card and then remain in RAM
If what you said about android is true, then they should have fixed that instead.
Good point with the micro SD. Although I have yet to see one fail personally, however that is a minuscule sample size.
anything without standardized replaceable batteries is designed to fail without recourse eventually. batteries are consumables goddamit!
I’ve got the 3rd gen and it’s lasted at least 3 years now.
It’s really nice to see what this community has to offer on lemmy. I quit Reddit because I refuse to use the Reddit app. I really do like the comments more than Reddit, and I’m a wannabe techno savvy Linux pro but I’m still working on basic motivation. Therapy included.
I’ve got Linux on Debian cause I needed the stability to handle my instability, I’ve read through the Linux command line and fell in love with emacs, and all I do on my pc is write, now. And pay bills, but that’s just Firefox. “Just the internet,” lol. It’s hard to try to contain, so I write.
Hope I don’t get banned for irrelevance. No hate here. Just rambling through.
This is how to comment effectively on Lemmy.
If you post about an Apple product working reasonably, in order to counteract the confirmation bias downvotes, you are required to supply two paragraphs praising Linux.
Hahaha true.
I also like the Airpods Pro :) I even rebought them, when I lost them. Only apple item I ever owned. But the fit is awesome and they never hurt. I could wear them all day. And battery lifetime is probably as long as the one of a smartphone battery.
I laughed inappropriately loud at this comment.
We are the Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your ships. We will add your biological and technological irrelevance to our own. Your irrelevance will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile.
Surprised the title didn’t say, “Apple slammed for ear pods that are designed to die”.
Gluing components together so it’s not easy/impossible to repair is different to ‘designing to die’. In my opinion designed to die suggests the ear pods will die prematurely due to intentional design decisions. Gluing components together just means that when the ear pods die, then they cannot be brought back to life and you have to replace them.
For every article not containing the word slammed, there’s a comment that mentions the lack of the word slammed. This way, we’ll never get rid of it
Lemming SLAMMED for commenting on lack of this one weird word in article title (editors hate him)
Commenter SLAMMED Lemming on their SLAMMED SLAMMING, but nothing else is SLAMMED as back in nineteen ninety-eight when the Undertaker threw Mankind off hеll in a cell, and plummeted sixteen feet through an announcer’s table
“SLAMMED” SLAMMED!
Gluing components together so it’s not easy/impossible to repair is different to ‘designing to die’. In my opinion designed to die suggests the ear pods will die prematurely due to intentional design decisions. Gluing components together just means that when the ear pods die, then they cannot be brought back to life and you have to replace them.
But they’re designed with the knowledge that the small battery has a brief usability period. Which is like putting a time bomb in there knowing the people will probably buy more of their products. Putting something inside that can’t be removed and that has a short lifespan is designing a product to die. In other words, it’s designed to die with plenty of good parts left inside when the part that’s quickest to die can’t be replaced. They’re turning a bunch of long lifespan stuff into disposable. That’s an intentional design decision that makes the product die prematurely.
As they said in the article, they could easily make this a replaceable part. But they glue it in so that’s near impossible. Not to mention how long apple fought right to repair legislation. They know exactly what they’re doing.
Kinda off-topic but their charging cables are actually designed to die. Not that people care…
Source?
Mine are still working after 5 years. I probably average 1-2 hours a day on them though which may be less than normal.
You’re using them and not discharging fully which is ideal for the battery.
Mine lasted for years as far as battery is concerned.
Unfortunately the loudness level has dropped significantly. I went to Apple store and they acknowledged this as that’s what happens to them.
Eventually I gave up and replaced with alternative lower cost similar style headphones. The sound level is plenty, but microphone is terrible. I tried several and found I found similar problems. It is acceptable for much lower cost, but doesn’t compare.
I’ve got 4yrs on mine, I use them for meetings at work and regularly do 3hr meetings with them, probably averaging about 3 hrs a day, 5 days a week. They ran out for me the other day after a 3.5hr meeting, but luckily just one did, so I had it charge while I was using the other and made it through the 5hr outage call.
Not ideal, but the 4 other head sets (2 bt and two wired I got from the company) sounded terrible (either the microphone or the speaker or both) so they’re my go to pair.
I do wish you could swap the battery, but if I make It to 5 yrs it’d probably be fine considering how much I use them. I’d even be okay if they’d just make that a pro feature. At least give us the choice.
You could just use the wired Apple ones. Does the microphone sound better than just using the phone as a microphone?
The microphone definitely sounds better in the wireless earbuds. Especially with the amount of background noise it picks up if you’re not using it like a phone. (These are all video calls, so I can’t hold it to my face the same way) The wires one isn’t bad though, I used one for a while (wanted to make sure they fit and were comfortable… and then waited for a sale), but traveling back and forth from the office didn’t agree with them over the long term. That’s one benefit with the wireless ones, the case is pretty protective and durable so it makes for good travel usage.
The headline could have been Apple make Apple product.
Stuff like the Fairphone Buds seems like a good alternative.
Like other commenters here, I got something like three years out of my AirPods until they wouldn’t hold a charge.
Gen 1 AirPods = Trash batteries that become miserable after 2 years. Good luck making it through a 1 hour call if you use them a lot. These things beg for the landfill by year 3.
Gen 3 AirPods or AirPods Pro’s = surprisingly good battery longevity. Expect these to be solid after 2 years.
I have the og regular. They still work but the battery dies after 30 minutes.
I feel like they’re 7 years old.
I didn’t get two years out of mine.
Regardless, they shouldn’t be manufacturing these like they’re disposable.
IMHO, the first generation was pretty bad. Those things went to shit after 2 years. I couldn’t get through an hour call with them.
But the new Pros are pretty good. I’ve had a pair for 2 years, and I’m still on 3-4 hour calls with them, with ANC on.
I don’t know what black magic is happening, but these things are doing way better than my first ones.
Question…
Why did you purchase them in the first place then?
Hype? Advertising? Apple ecosystem? Lack of foresight that the batteries aren’t replaceable?
Edit: Downvoters too upset to answer the question. They actually have adapters to use wired headphones on iPhones ya know.
Trust that it works well and it does. However, first gen was not as good as after it.
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Good microphone quality. Not true for first gen after some time in my experience
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Reliable connection. True most of the time.
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Apple ecosystem, yes to a small degree. Ability to see battery level is nice.
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Fast recharge times
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Endless usage time if using one headphone at a time. It is my preference usage method.
Cons: high price. After several years I expect to find comparable competition. It exists, and i use it, but i lost: 1, 2, 3 from my list. And usability is crap: accidentally touching headphone turns it off.
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You dare question an Apple product purchase? you’ve angered the cult.
FYI You should know fanboys and their anecdotes beat studies critical to Apple every time.
Oh I know. I’ve repaired over 1000 Apple devices in my days of tech repair, and the only thing I personally gained from my experiences is that they’re overpriced eggshells that are literally designed to fail.
Planned obsolescence ☹️
My aunt gave me a pair despite me being an Android person, I used them simply because they were free, and they died like a year later. I got some JBLs which are excellent thus far.
Any product that is a portable electronic and does not have an easily replaceable battery is considered disposable, a commodity. Every single one.
Here is what you should know: never ever buy a shit product
10-4, i will continue to stay in my basement and not order things because I’m broke.
In less than two years, the rechargeable lithium-ion battery found in your AirPods is due to die an untimely death.
Bullshit. I got four years out of each of my pairs and I used them several hours a day. Also replacing the battery when it does wear out is is something like 50 bucks. Sure, you can’t do it yourself but Apple will give you a refurbished pair, and they will recycle your old battery.
And they provide free recycling for all their products — you’re basically paying for it to be recycled when you buy AirPods and any that go into landfill that’s entirely the customer’s fault.
No wired headphones I’ve ever owned lasted even close to that long - the cable eventually fails with several hours per day of swinging around and being packed tightly into your pocket.
That said, I’ve switched to bone conduction headphones now, and will probably never own another pair of airpods unless they go down the same path.
This reads so much like Apple marketing talk. Just call any criticism bullshit and let the anectodes and fanboys circlejerk. Add “Apple also gives cuddly gifts to kids sometimes”, and you’re golden.
🤢
The recycling plug is a little silly, but they are correct about AirPods lasting longer than that article claims.
The first gen AirPods were absolutely ready for hospice after 2 years. But the new ones are much better. Anyone that’s used some Pro 2s or Gen 3s knows what I’m talking about.
This article’s claims are kind of outdated and they feel like they were written by someone who hasn’t used one of the models made during the last 5 years.
It’s not marketing talk if you know 5+ people and noone has problems with their battery after two years.
5 samples is still anecdotal. There is no statistical significance there.
Sure, but then it’s still worth more than this article lol
Mine are two years and they’re working really really well. I’ve noticed a capacity drop, but it’s far more than enough for my needs.
The batteries definitely need to be replaceable. This would be trivially easy.
With that said, I’m not so convinced they are designed to fail in less than two years either. Article strikes me as sensationalist with a grain of truth.
PS: mine even come with a feature to reduce battery aging by delaying full charge until the device is expected to be used. Why bother if planned obsolescence is your explicit goal?
I found one of mine developed a crackle after a year. It would eventually go away if I put it in the case and took it out a few times which seemed kind of silly.
They had (or maybe still have) an extended warranty / free replacement program for this issue
How would you compare capacity at purchase vs now?
Approximately 80% In my rough estimation. It’s fine for a workout which is my threshold for usability, but has begun to suffer on long flights. I use these while working out 3 to 5 times per week and on trips.
This seems generally in line with lithium ion batteries in smart phones.
This seems acceptable to me, though it may not be everyone’s experience, based on the thread
It’s kind of hard to tell with my 2 year old Pro 2s. I treat mine like dog shit. They’re in use constantly for 8 hours of remote meetings, and I leave them in for podcasts at night. I throw them in the case at lunch and during dinner, but it’s not because I’m getting a battery warning. It’s because I’m stepping away from the desk. All in all, I hit these things pretty hard.
My guess is that they’re probably down to 4+ hours of audio and 3+ hours of call time after 2 years. Long enough that I’m likely going to take a break, and put them in the case before I hear a battery warning.
That said, my old non-pro Gen 1 AirPods were really starting to struggle after 2 years. After 2 years I needed to swap between right and left buds to get through an hour call. They made it about 45min with the mic on, and those didn’t have ANC and head tracking.
Lithium iOS is inherently unstable and that instability goes both ways. They designed it to only last 2 years, but there will be plenty that go beyond that, just as there will be plenty that die in , <2 years. The majority will die at about 2 years, as designed.
That being said,
bone conduction headphones
What’s that? I’m intrigued lmao
Edit: ion* lmao typo stays tho
bone conduction headphones
What’s that? I’m intrigued lmao
Sound is vibration. We typically think of it as vibration transmitted through air (to get to your auditory canal), but it doesn’t have to be. Sound vibration can be conducted through your bones (which your auditory canal is enclosed in) so you can hear without something being in your ears because the sound gets inside you through a different medium.
Do you have an electric toothbrush? Turn it on and bite down with your teeth on it. Notice how it gets MUCH louder? Thats the sound traveling through your jawbone (and skull) to get to your auditory canal.
I have a pair originally purchased for running but they’ve turned out to be useful in numerous situations where I wanted to listen to something without losing awareness of my surroundings.
$50 bucks? I bought two batteries for $4 each from China and they came with sealant to recreate the waterproof seal.
This only works when you can open the earphones and the battery is not soldered (my hands are not so steady not to fuck anything up)
I’m looking at waterproof bone conduction headphones to use in the hot tub, clearly you like yours, are they waterproof too?
I find it funny that people seek special overpriced “bone conducting” earbuds when they already normally do that when sounds vibrate your fucking ear drums.
The purpose of bone conducting earphones is that they don’t obstruct your ears, so you can still hear everything around you with virtually no distortion.
Any good recommendations? I want to purchase a premium one.
I’ve only ever tried a pair of Aftershokz (though I think they’re rebranded to just Shokz now), and they were pretty decent. I only listened to about 5 minutes worth of music, but the quality was pretty good, though it felt ever so slightly radio-y; not that I could hear static or anything, but just that there were some missing tones on the higher and lower ends, like I wasn’t getting the full spectrum of sound that I should’ve been getting. But it’s hard to tell if that’s because I’m just so used to traditional earphones that go for sound isolation or if that’s just expected fidelity loss through bone conduction, and I don’t have any other experiences to compare that to, unfortunately. This was also quite a few years ago, so the tech may have improved since then, too.
I liked 'em, I thought they were pretty neat. If I worked in an office where I regularly had people come up for my attention or needed to clearly hear everything around me, I’d probably get a pair just for that purpose. Though personally, I still prefer earphones that offer some sort of sound isolation. The “openness” that you feel with the bone conductive phones is pretty cool, but I wouldn’t want it for situations where I want to really focus on the music.
Replacing a single earbud is $49, and the case is another $49, so replacing all three batteries is $147, which at least for the regular model is close to buying new AirPods. It’s pretty much a given that the repair costs more than the product is worth after a new model launches.
Apple also doesn’t swap the batteries, they replace the earbuds completely, “recycling” otherwise fully intact earphones. Not sure about the case.
You’re right that they probably last more than two years (that depends on a lot of factors though), and while features like adaptive charging hints that Apple doesn’t want them to die quite as quickly, they still aren’t designed to last and certainly aren’t designed to be repairable.
I had to return my bone conduction headphones because it tickled my ears too much when I turned it up so loud that I could hear it over my bike machine. My wired headphones kept dying from my sweat, so I just ended up getting some waterproof-ish JBL in-ear headphones so I don’t have to worry about destroying any of my wireless headphones.
My Gen 2s are 2 years old and I use them all day for meetings with a short charge around lunch. I don’t really pay attention to the battery and I’m using them for calls for about 6-8 hours.
Then I usually sleep with one in my ear and fall asleep to a podcast. I usually get a battery warning beep sometime between 3 and 6 am, and I go to bed at 10pm.
All in all, I treat these things like shit, I they’re in use for half the day, I leave the case on a hot ass MagSafe puck at night, and they’re still in really good shape. I just used them from a flight from CA to NY with no problems.
Like many, my first Gen vanilla AirPods were struggling after 2 years, but Apple seems to have figured out how to prolong these little batteries.
