"AirPods"

[Sirious]

Does anyone not remember that Apple is after the "AirPods" name? Possibly for wireless version of EarPods that require no headphone jack...?

https://www.macrumors.com/2015/10/01/airpods-trademark/
http://9to5mac.com/2015/10/01/apple-airpods-trademark-shell-company/
http://appleinsider.com/articles/15...rk-filings-point-to-apple-wireless-headphones

 

[Newtons Apple]

I have been using BT headset for a while now. The holes for the headphones is just a place for dirt or moisture to get in for me. But people do like choice and this would be taking that choice away.

 

[Vicrooloo]

Bluetooth is cool and all but its just another device that requires battery management and charging. And Bluetooth, right now, still pales in comparison to wired in terms of audio quality/fidelity. I've spent $300 for a good set of headphones and $100 for an amp. If the iPhones of the future are missing headphone jacks then I guess I'll be listening to music only at my desk or will have to shell out money for the latest Bluetooth adapter or some such.

Would be much easier pill to swallow if instead of Lightning, Apple fully adopts USB C across all devices. I live in a mixed device household so cables and adapters are going to be some very expensive things in the coming future.

 

[Sirious]

Bluetooth is cool and all but its just another device that requires battery management and charging. And Bluetooth, right now, still pales in comparison to wired in terms of audio quality/fidelity.

Recharge and quick pair via lightning port. See battery in Notification Centre

 

[navaira]

AirPods could also be self-driving hovercars. You've heard it here first.

 

[Vicrooloo]

Recharge and quick pair via lightning port. See battery in Notification Centre

But I already have a bluetooth headset. It doesn't support charging and pairing over Lightning cable. And wouldn't that drain my iPhone battery more? And isn't it silly to charge your bluetooth headset via cable to phone instead of with an outlet? I really can't see a win for the consumers here. I already have a bluetooth headset that I don't use because the audio quality isn't that great and its another device I have to manage charging.

AirPods could also be self-driving hovercars. You've heard it here first.

inb4 drone

 

[Sirious]

But I already have a bluetooth headset. It doesn't support charging and pairing over Lightning cable. And wouldn't that drain my iPhone battery more? And isn't it silly to charge your bluetooth headset via cable to phone instead of with an outlet? I really can't see a win for the consumers here. I already have a bluetooth headset that I don't use because the audio quality isn't that great and its another device I have to manage charging.


inb4 drone

Can charge via standard lightning cable, like Apple Pencil, maybe?

 

[LordQ]

Bring it on. Wireless is the future.

 

[C DM]

https://www.macrumors.com/2016/01/08/iphone-7-lightning-earpods-wireless-earphones/

 

[Sirious]

https://www.macrumors.com/2016/01/08/iphone-7-lightning-earpods-wireless-earphones/

Thanks for the link. Note that I created this thread before the front page post.

 

[Vicrooloo]

Can charge via standard lightning cable, like Apple Pencil, maybe?

I don't think you are understanding me. If the Bluetooth headset charges via a Lightning cable then it only connects to an iPhone or iPad. So wouldn't charging my headset drain the battery of my iPhone and iPad faster?

If the Bluetooth headset doesn't charge via Lightning, we go back to my original point: its another device to manage battery

 

[C DM]

Thanks for the link. Note that I created this thread before the front page post.

Yup, simply adding another article that just came up and relates to it all.

 

[Tycho24]

When I think of quality earbuds.... I think of something like these:
http://www.gradolabs.com/headphones/in-ear-series

When I think of EarPods.... wait, I don't- because they're garbage.
Having those wireless sounds like a waste. If they want that moniker to describe some COMPLETELY different/much higher quality product I say, have at it.

 

[bufffilm]

I don't think you are understanding me. If the Bluetooth headset charges via a Lightning cable then it only connects to an iPhone or iPad. So wouldn't charging my headset drain the battery of my iPhone and iPad faster?

If the Bluetooth headset doesn't charge via Lightning, we go back to my original point: its another device to manage battery

+1

I don't want yet another device that I would have to keep charged just to listen to music.

 

[freeskier93]

I don't think you are understanding me. If the Bluetooth headset charges via a Lightning cable then it only connects to an iPhone or iPad. So wouldn't charging my headset drain the battery of my iPhone and iPad faster?

If the Bluetooth headset doesn't charge via Lightning, we go back to my original point: its another device to manage battery

Do you think it takes no energy to drive your wired headphones? For any given size of headphones the energy dispelled to charge Bluetooth headphones would be virtually the same to drive wired versions. It does take some extra energy to run Bluetooth but in my experience It's pretty negligible with the latest low power Bluetooth.

 

[Vicrooloo]

Do you think it takes no energy to drive your wired headphones? For any given size of headphones the energy dispelled to charge Bluetooth headphones would be virtually the same to drive wired versions. It does take some extra energy to run Bluetooth but in my experience It's pretty negligible with the latest low power Bluetooth.

If we are talking about electricity expended then its minimal when wired and nominal when over BLE. The most energy spent is probably the app itself and the CPU usage.

But I'm not talking about electricity expended am I?

 

[jasie02]

Do you think it takes no energy to drive your wired headphones? For any given size of headphones the energy dispelled to charge Bluetooth headphones would be virtually the same to drive wired versions. It does take some extra energy to run Bluetooth but in my experience It's pretty negligible with the latest low power Bluetooth.

Driving digital BT headphone will use significant less than analog wired headphone through 3.5mm, specially if you use high impedance headphone without headphone amp. Power requirement come from battery will spliced between iPhone and BT headset battery for BT headphone use, so iPhone battery should last longer, specially for anyone listen to music all the time.
BT headset duration is different story, but you could always have 2 BT headset, and alternating them.

 

[freeskier93]

If we are talking about electricity expended then its minimal when wired and nominal when over BLE. The most energy spent is probably the app itself and the CPU usage.

But I'm not talking about electricity expended am I?

I'm not talking about "electricity" expended either, just energy in a generic form.

Driving digital BT headphone will use significant less than analog wired headphone through 3.5mm, specially if you use high impedance headphone without headphone amp. Power requirement come from battery will spliced between iPhone and BT headset battery for BT headphone use, so iPhone battery should last longer, specially for anyone listen to music all the time.
BT headset duration is different story, but you could always have 2 BT headset, and alternating them.

I should have made myself more clear. I was specifically addressing the point below:

I don't think you are understanding me. If the Bluetooth headset charges via a Lightning cable then it only connects to an iPhone or iPad. So wouldn't charging my headset drain the battery of my iPhone and iPad faster?

If the Bluetooth headset doesn't charge via Lightning, we go back to my original point: its another device to manage battery

The direct answer would be yes, but the net energy used to charge the bluetooth headphones from your phone would be the same energy required to run wired headphones from your phone. So to your point yes, if you're charging your headphones from the wall then your phone battery will actually last longer, but if you're charging your headphones with your phone your phone battery life will be about the same as using wired headphones.

 

[Vicrooloo]

The direct answer would be yes, but the net energy used to charge the bluetooth headphones from your phone would be the same energy required to run wired headphones from your phone. So to your point yes, if you're charging your headphones from the wall then your phone battery will actually last longer, but if you're charging your headphones with your phone your phone battery life will be about the same as using wired headphones.

You have to be joking. You think the energy expended by the iPhone to charge/recharge a Lightning equipped Bluetooth headset (not including playing music over the Lightning cable too) will be equivalent to powering a passive/analogue headset? Please. Please.

 

[jasie02]

You have to be joking. You think the energy expended by the iPhone to charge/recharge a Lightning equipped Bluetooth headset (not including playing music over the Lightning cable too) will be equivalent to powering a passive/analogue headset? Please. Please.

This is direct internal DC voltage connection through lightning, right, so why not?
Imaging original D/A component and 3.5mm port are move out to external lightning adaptor, so Apple could theoretical maintain same D/A to 3.5mm port power consumption between internal and external design.

 

[freeskier93]

You have to be joking. You think the energy expended by the iPhone to charge/recharge a Lightning equipped Bluetooth headset (not including playing music over the Lightning cable too) will be equivalent to powering a passive/analogue headset? Please. Please.

Of course not exactly the same because you have to power the Bluetooth radios on each end, but in the long term it will be very similar. If you listen to music for 5 hours with wired headphones it takes X amount of energy. If you're using Bluetooth headphones that same X amount of energy could be used to charge the battery of the Bluetooth headphones and get you about the same 5 hours of listening time.

 

[Vicrooloo]

This is direct internal DC voltage connection through lightning, right, so why not?
Imaging original D/A component and 3.5mm port are move out to external lightning adaptor, so Apple could theoretical maintain same D/A to 3.5mm port power consumption between internal and external design.

Sigh. I give up. If anything is possible its going to happen under Apple, amiright? BLE so efficient that it consumes less power than via 3.5 mm

Of course not exactly the same because you have to power the Bluetooth radios on each end, but in the long term it will be very similar. If you listen to music for 5 hours with wired headphones it takes X amount of energy. If you're using Bluetooth headphones that same X amount of energy could be used to charge the battery of the Bluetooth headphones and get you about the same 5 hours of listening time.

This isn't a cartoon world with things like equivalent exchange. How much power, excuse me, "energy" does it take to power Earpods? I know its its next to insignificant. How in the world could you sit there and suggest to me that that much energy could recharge the batteries of a Bluetooth headset?

 

[The Game 161]

It's the future or so they want you to believe

 

[jasie02]

It's the future or so they want you to believe

Or they are driving to, with the vision of Steve, who gave us mouse, Mac, MBA, iPhone, & iPad.

You have to give people unexpected to not become expected, and create new market.

 

[Sirious]

It's the future or so they want you to believe

It takes one company to take a step in the future, and the rest seem to follow.
We might be laughing at phones with headphones jacks in them in like 5 years or at least that's what Tim Cook wants us to do