I was initially skeptical of the Apple Airpods. They looked far to similar to the ubiquitous in-ear earbuds that are supplied with nearly every Apple iPhone. And those, I had found, had serious problems staying in my ears.
And so, as the Airpods became more and more popular online and amongst my friends and acquaintances, I could not understand the popularity. I persisted with my other Bluetooth headphones such as the Koss BT540i, which is one of the best over-the-ear headphones I’ve ever used (I liked them so much that I purchased two sets: one to keep at work, and another for use at home).
But, in a moment of weakness, I found myself at an Apple Store shelling out the money for a pair of Airpods. It would make for a better story if I said that I was instantly hooked. But the reality is that it took a few weeks.
My initial discovery was that there were no problems keeping the little devices in my ears. My problem, it turns out, was the wires. Without the wires, they stay in my ears just fine.
Once they were in the ears, I could tell how good the audio was: no, it’s probably not superb, audiophile quality, but that’s not what these are intended for. They’re at their best all the time, whether walking around the office or strolling down the street.
And that brings me to the second discovery: the Airpod case. If you’re not aware, the Airpods will only hold about 3-4 hours of charge. However, the case contains an additional battery and will recharge the earbuds quickly; they say that 15 minutes of charge gives 3 hours of battery life.
But more importantly than that, the case permits me to have the Airpods live in my pocket. And that, in turn, means that I’m much more likely to use them. In the months since I’ve purchased them, I’ve probably listened to 4-5 times the quantity of music since before the purchase. The packaging and ease of use of the Airpods have greatly reduced the “friction” involved in using headphones.
Because of the price, they’re not for everyone, but if you can afford it, they’re highly recommended.