TECH

Review: Apple AirPods

By JERHOW

9 January 2017

It seems trendy these days to be critical of them simply because they haven’t built a flying car yet.

But Apple has delivered a solid winner in the new AirPods.

Not only do they work, but they are a best-in-class.

Not only are they a best-in-class, but they are a life-changer.

Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, they are reliable. It has been a pleasure keeping my phone on the other side of the room while I comfortably chat with my AirPods in my ear and meander about.

I know, I know, there have been Bluetooth earpieces for eons. Apple didn’t event the genre! True. But I’ve always found 3rd party Bluetooth connections to be clunky at times, physically, and in terms of performance.

AirPods connect near instantaneously. It isn’t perfect. Occasionally, there’s a delay for the connection to occur seemingly without reason. At most, this is a minor annoyance that happens only every so often.

The volume is solid. Voices are crisp. And it’s nice being free of the wires! Now that I’ve gone without them, I will literally never go back to a wired connection. It feels that freeing.

The piece itself fits stunningly comfortable in the ear. It’s light. It’s small. But it also feels secure. With its $159 price tag, there are the obvious concerns about it slipping out of the ear and down a storm drain. I’m not saying that coudn’t happen. But I feel confident having them in my ear. They don’t seem like they are going anywhere.

The AirPods are perhaps a touch too senstivtive. Sometimes, I need to adjust the piece in my ear. If you remove an AirPod from your ear even a millimeter it can switch to a different audio source – or pause whatever you’re watching on your device. So it has some kinks it needs to work out. But for a first-generation piece of Apple technology, the experience is still pleasurable.

The little white carrying case is creamy and phenomenal. Each AirPod has a little slot to place them in – and the AirPod magnetically, comfortably snaps into place. The case acts as a charger as well, perfect for when you are out and about and on the go.

It would be great to see different AirPod colors with future versions. I’d like a set of Space Gray AirPods to compliment my iPhone 7 Plus.

But I won’t complain about what Apple hasn’t done. Instead, I will complment them about what they have done.

The AirPods have been done, all right. They’ve been done right.

by JERHOW

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