I’ve been able to make do with Apple’s regular earbuds for a long time, but after my iPhone 7 Plus fell off the Planet Fitness Arc Trainer twice, it was time to look at some wireless options.  I first bought a $29 set of Bluetooth earbuds through Amazon. Reading the reviews, many people commented “love them, they didn’t hurt my ears!”. Good for them, because after 15 minutes, my ears were throbbing and sore.  I also didn’t like that I had to constantly disconnect them so my iPhone would “let go” and play out of the speaker or the hands free link in my car.

I decided to finally take a look at the Apple AirPods. When they originally came out, I thought they were overpriced at $159 (but actually cheaper than the Beats everyone wears). Per Apple’s website there’s still a 3-week wait for them.  I checked with my contact at the Apple store, and they had one pair available.

After all these years, Apple still impresses me with their vigilant detail to form and function. The AirPods come in a charging case (like an oblong egg) that uses the same lightening cable as your iPhone or iPad to charge the case itself and the AirPods. For listening, they’ll last for 24 hours. The ear pieces nestle into the pod exactly how you would put them on/take them off.

AirPods hop seamlessly from device to device (iPhone, iPad, MacBook). Occasionally, I have to tell one device to let go.  When you’re listening to something, and take one earpiece out (someone comes in and asks you a question), it immediately pauses what you were listening to. When you put the earpiece back in, it picks right up using a motion-detecting accelerometer and an optical sensor. You can also double-tap the ear piece to access various functions (Siri, play/pause, next track).  

I tried them at Planet Fitness last weekend and can happily report my iPhone did not fall off the Arc Trainer.

Apple adds more utility to Find my iPhone – now you can locate your AirPods if they’re active. They’ll even play a sound so you can find them.

https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MMEF2/airpods?fnode=42