Apple AirPods are out now should you buy them?
BY MARTIN PRATT ON 14/12/2016
The iPhone 7 released in September and Apples AirPods were supposed to come out at around the same time. The wireless headphones are designed to capitalise on the iPhones missing port the 3.5mm jack that lets you plug in conventional headphones.
Apple decided this popular port was no longer necessary. Is Bluetooth the way forward? Apple clearly thinks so and its up to the AirPods to prove it.
After a three-month delay, the AirPods are up for sale on the Apple store. Find out what youre getting for your 159.
Best Buy headphones excellent wired and wireless headphones
The headphones are about to go through our extensive test program. Be sure to check back next week to see what we think of the sound.
Whats special about the Apple AirPods?
Theyre tiny and, unusually, even for Bluetooth headphones, there are no cords whatsoever. Typically, Bluetooth in-ear headphones have a wire connecting the left and right ear pieces, but the AirPods are completely wireless. The design of the earpiece itself is similar to the wired ones were used to seeing bundled with iPhones. The hard plastic design wont sit comfortably in everyones ears, especially those who are used to the more popular rubber-tipped design.
The lack of wires gives the AirPods a futuristic feel, but concerns have been raised as to what happens if one of them falls out. A benefit of having a wire connecting the two earpieces is that if one falls out its still connected to the other. And, if both of them dislodge, the cable will drape them round your neck and prevent a damaging plummet to the floor. With wireless headphones being so useful for sport and exercise, the AirPods design may lead to them falling out of your ears more than staying in.
More than just a pair of headphones
Considering how small they are, Apple has managed to squeeze in some nifty features.
You can make calls on them even though the tips of the ear pieces sit nowhere near your mouth. Apple says that the headphones filter out background noise to make voices and your voice sound clearer.
There should be no faff when connecting them either. As soon as they are taken out of their charging case they connect automatically with your iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple Watch. Not only do they automatically connect, they
start your music, too. When they are in your ears music plays and if they are taken out of your ears the music stops. Its as simple as that. Well be testing exactly how well the AirPods deliver on this promise in our lab.
The built-in microphone means you can talk to friends, family and your phone. Double-tapping the earpiece activates Siri (the iPhones built-in assistant). You can ask Siri to play a different song, call someone, send a text or schedule a meeting without taking your phone out of your pocket.
Hows the battery life?
With all that technology packed in, there isnt a lot of room left for a battery. Apple claims you can get five hours from one charge. Well put that to the test to see if its accurate, but it would fit with the kind of battery life we see from other wireless in-ear headphones.
The way you charge the headphones is novel and goes some way to addressing the meagre battery life. Rather than plugging a Lightning cable straight into the AirPods something there really isnt room for you slot the pods into a small case. The case has its own battery that charges the AirPods. Apple claims this ups the battery life to 24 hours as long as youre happy to wait for your AirPods to recharge every five hours. Mercifully, the charge time is very quick. Just 15 minutes in the case gives three hours of listening time and around an hour using the mic.
Again these are claims made by Apple and well see if the numbers are accurate when we get our own pair in for testing.
What devices do they work with?
The AirPods are Bluetooth and as a result they can be connected with Android phones and other Bluetooth devices. You may lose some of those cool features if youre not using an Apple device, but they should still work its hard to imagine anyone other than an Apple user being interested though.
They are compatible with all iPhones from the iPhone 5 onwards. If you want to use them with an iPad youll need at least an iPad Mini 2 or an iPad Air. The iPod touch isnt left out either, as long as you have a 6th generation model.
iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches all need to have iOS 10 installed. You can connect the AirPods to an Apple Watch, too, as long as it is running watchOS 3. MacBooks will need to have macOS Sierra installed.
Source link: https://blogs.which.co.uk/technolog..._content=airpods17122016&utm_term=twtechdaily
