What is Apple Air Sub. Review of the Apple AirPods Bluetooth headset. Can I use AirPods with Mac or Apple Watch

Ideal wireless headphones For iPhone owners and other Apple equipment. Despite the fears, the company managed to create something - amazing, comfortable, attractive in appearance and extremely unusual technically...

Contents of delivery

Headset
Charging case
Lightning cable
Documentation

AirPods, questions and answers

I would like to remind you that Apple already had experience creating a Bluetooth headset for the iPhone; such a product was announced along with the company’s first smartphone; we have a review on our website.

In short, the device turned out to be very strange and was not popular. It was clear that along with the iPhone they simply needed to make a line of accessories, the task was completed, and after that Apple did not return to the topic of its own Bluetooth devices. After the purchase of Beats, it seemed that now they would not return at all - what’s the point if there is a world-famous manufacturer of iconic headphones?

The release of AirPods is likely due to the appearance of the iPhone 7, which lacks a 3.5 mm jack. Probably, the company wanted to show the potential of Bluetooth and demonstrate that the usual headphones can be deprived of the cable and retain all the advantages that millions of people love EarPods for.

Probably, the opportunity to create AirPods arose and Apple bosses considered the characteristics of the device (all characteristics, including price on the shelf) acceptable for launching mass production.

Honestly, I was very afraid that Apple would not be able to cope with the problems typical for such devices and that during operation a bitter aftertaste of disappointment and resentment would appear. I’ll say in advance that there is nothing like that at all, AirPods are an excellent choice for the owner of Apple equipment; during the first days of use, you can’t help but smile when you open the case and put on the headphones. Magic!

Let's take it in order, and first I would like to answer a few questions from AirPods critics.

Question one, why didn’t Apple create a unique design for AirPods? Here I would like to remind you that the complete EarPods headset, which first appeared bundled with the iPhone 5, was created for a very long time by very smart people. The challenge was unique - to make headphones that fit millions of different ears. The task is completed, and now you can see EarPods all over the world in adults, children, seniors, men and women. Without attachments, these headphones are comfortable and are a universal solution for any Apple technology. So why look for some new uniform, if there is already a proven solution? The average person cannot understand what a horror it is for a design team to find the optimal earphone shape. Hence the many identical questions on the Internet. The familiar, proven form factor justifies itself, AirPods fit perfectly, you can wear them for hours without discomfort in any conditions, the only negative is that on public transport people nearby can hear your music (if you turn it up louder). Passive noise isolation is not the strong point of AirPods.

Question two, why do the headphones look so funny and they still have “legs”? Apple killed two birds with one stone. Firstly, it was great to show that these are regular EarPods, just without a cable. Secondly, the “legs” contain downward-facing microphones, which made it possible to maintain the usual quality of speech transmission from EarPods - in short, the interlocutors are very happy, the sound is excellent. Thirdly, I don’t know what’s funny about AirPods. They do not stick out of the ears to the side; they are easy to remove or insert by the “leg” - unlike models of other designs, where you don’t know how to pick up a miniature cup.

Question three, what if I lose my earphone? Buy a new headset? This is an interesting question, and it can be asked in relation to any technology. What happens if I lose my iPhone? Is it Apple's fault? What if I lose my MacBook? iPad? In other words, when has user absentmindedness been a company's problem? It is clear that we are talking about small headphones here, but from the first days you get used to keeping the charging case in your pocket and putting the AirPods there, and not just throwing them in your pocket. It’s gratifying that especially for the forgetful, the company has provided the opportunity to buy a lost earphone or case separately; this can be done in the service; one earphone will cost about half of the entire set (divide 12,990 rubles into two parts). Some will call it redneck or something else, but for now AirPods are a curiosity, and a curiosity that has turned out to be in great demand. You can add to cart on the official website, but you will have to wait six weeks. That is, somewhere in February it will be possible to receive the device. Therefore, for now, this is the case, in the future Apple may revise the rules and either sell accessories for AirPods cheaper or give them to users for free during the warranty period (although this is unlikely).

Last question, what devices do AirPods work with? Naturally, with all Apple devices, but I tried to connect the headset to a smartphone on Android based, Sony Xperia XZ. Everything worked out, the quality of sound and speech transmission was very pleasing. Using the button on the right earphone, you can play music with two clicks and answer a call. In general, the headset can be used even with Android. But, of course, it is primarily addressed to owners of Apple devices.

Now let's move on to the design and other features.

Design, construction

The headphones come in a small box, inside there is a charging case with AirPods and a Lightning cable. I’m very pleased with the presence of Lightning on the charging module; you can connect it in the car, at work, and at home, use it with external battery. For now, you can only recharge the headphones using the module; perhaps additional accessories will appear in the future.

The first connection to a smartphone is very simple: open the module cover - on iPhone screen A menu immediately pops up asking you to connect the accessory. Subsequently, using the cover, you can check the remaining operating time of each earphone and module; all this information is displayed on the smartphone screen. Made as simply and elegantly as possible. There is a button on the charging module, you can use it to put AirPods into pairing mode, I used the gadget with Apple TV, MacBook Pro, the ease of connection is captivating. For example, if you open the lid, then in the menu laptop bluetooth The headset appears immediately.

To make using the charging module more convenient, there are several tricks. The compartments for the cups are magnetized, and the headphones literally fly into them and sit in place as they should. The lid is also magnetic, or it’s a cleverly designed mechanism. It takes a little effort to lift; the lid latches itself. The design of the Lightning connector is such that you can use any cable or a proprietary docking station, this is quite logical. The light indicator in the module helps you understand what is happening with the headphones and what the status is. What is missing here is a clip to carry the module with keys, like a keychain. Well, or attach it to your bag or jeans.

The design of the AirPods themselves is interesting. Below are microphones covered with metal meshes; let me remind you, there are two microphones pointing down. You can designate one of them as “main” or entrust the system with choosing the main microphone; for now I’ve settled on automatic selection. The Bluetooth menu provides several special features for AirPods, such as changing the name, selecting an action for double-clicking the sensor on the right - start/pause a track, call Siri, turn off.

The shiny area next to the mesh covering the microphones is a contact for the charging module; charging occurs when the contact touches a pair of contacts inside the case. There are also infrared sensors on the cups, with their help AirPods understand that they are in the ears. When both headphones are in place, a sound confirms the start of operation. sound signal. By pulling out one or another earphone, you can quickly stop playback; the device’s behavior for such cases is not yet regulated in the menu, but in the future the list of settings will certainly be expanded. By the way, the motion accelerometer, as it is called in the commercial, reacts to touches on the right earphone. In addition, on the cup there is an additional voice accelerometer that recognizes vibration and sound sources, and they work in conjunction with a microphone. Extraneous noise is filtered out, and what you get is good speech quality, natural, as if you were talking using an iPhone. The technology is interesting and the implementation deserves a lot of praise.

A little about management. During incoming call To answer a call you need to knock twice on the sensor, to hang up you also need to knock. You can tap Siri, and AirPods will certainly become a driver for more active use of the voice assistant. The program recognizes commands well and quickly, allows you to play music, adjust the volume, select tracks without taking your phone out of your pocket, and call people. I checked it while walking, at home, in the car. AirPods are also a good headset for a car. There is practically no passive noise insulation here, so it’s as if the headset is not in your ears. When talking on the phone, you don’t feel cut off from reality. Now, if you start the music, then yes, you fall into a trap. But we'll talk about this later.

I would like to remind you that an Apple processor called W1 is used here; it is to him that we must thank for sound processing, voice transmission capabilities, operating time and other features of the device.

I note that there are no problems when pairing the iPhone 7 Plus - Apple Watch series 2 - AirPods are not noticed, you can control playback from the watch, the operating time of all accessories is displayed.

Roughness

We must pay tribute to Apple engineers - it is clear that the launch time was extended for a reason; the team was probably faced with a bunch of the most different problems, both hardware and software. If there are no complaints about the hardware, then questions arise regarding the software, but here we must take into account that most AirPods users will not encounter them. I will list the observed roughnesses:

After connecting to an Android smartphone, the charging level of the headphones was incorrectly displayed on the iPhone screen, one was allegedly discharged, the second was fully charged, after disconnecting from the Sony Xperia XZ, the normal display returned.
When used with different devices Apple and the subsequent transition to use from the iPhone, the small headset indicator in the notification line of the smartphone may disappear.
When connected to an iPhone, all sounds from the device are duplicated into the headphones, for example, when typing an SMS it is a rather sharp “poke-poke-poke” until the device learns to soften and muffle the signals a little. Of course, here you can just turn down the volume - but for me this level comfortable while talking, listening to music, and you don’t want to pull the buttons back and forth. On the other hand, you quickly get used to it (note that natural nitpicking has already begun!).
If you open the case without headphones inside, the screen does not display information about charging the module.
There's no way to use AirPods with two devices at the same time; you'll have to choose whether it's an iPhone or an Apple TV.

So far these are all the roughnesses that have been discovered. I assume the AirPods software can be updated in the future.

Working hours

The stated operating time is 5 hours for each earphone; together with the charging module, 24 hours of operation are provided; there is fast charging, when after 15 minutes in the case the headphones can be used for 3 hours to play music. Is it a lot or a little? After several days of use, I can say the operating time is acceptable. It's all about the usage scenarios, it's good to work with AirPods, talk on the phone without interrupting other tasks, but then you'll be interrupted, and then you can put the AirPods in the case for charging. After working out for an hour or two in the gym, listening to music, you still put the AirPods away for a while while you shower, get dressed, or go to another place. Having made my eternal three-four-five circles around the Novodevichy Convent, I go into a cafe to check my email, listen to music, then go to the car, hide my headphones there and connect the module to charge. On a plane, you can watch a movie or TV series for three hours, then rest for an hour, put the AirPods in the case and connect it to an external battery.

Yes, this is not ten hours, not a day, as in modern large headphones - but it is not three hours, as in some other models.

Acceptable. This is how I can characterize AirPods in everyday use.

In addition, fast charging and predictability of the device help. You can actually count on five hours of use, and that's impressive.

Music

One more question: do AirPods have speakers like EarPods? Oh no, friends, that's a completely different story. I thought that in terms of sound everything would be familiar here, but in fact it’s not. First of all, I turned on the song Hurt by Johnny Cash, it’s very cool to hear every sigh of the musician and to get goosebumps from the music. Let me remind you that this is AAC 256 kbps from iTunes, not even FLAC. Amazing sound quality for a wireless model.

Then I began to experiment with different music, streaming services, TV series, films (also from iTunes). Here are a few observations. Firstly, the W1 processor clearly works with sound, adding volume even to songs on SoundCloud. Secondly, there is low frequencies, even if you don’t touch the equalizer, the bass is felt. People accustomed to Beats will not be bored here. Thirdly, I would also characterize the sound as comfortable; apparently, there is some adjustment depending on the content used. Voices sound well in films, explosions are reproduced effectively, and there is no “flat” sound typical of many Bluetooth headphones. There is no shortage of detail either. Huge volume reserve, at maximum it becomes uncomfortable.

To sum it up, the sound quality is excellent for small wireless headphones. I'm glad to be able to quickly switch between different Apple devices, for example, quickly connect to Apple TV in the evening and watch a movie, switch to a MacBook Pro during the day, or communicate using FaceTime.

The operating range of AirPods is about five to six meters, then interruptions begin; during normal use there are no problems with communication.

conclusions

On the one hand, AirPods have competitors, and some of them, for example, Bragi, draw comparison tables like this.

If you read Eldar's review on our website, you will understand why these are rather strange tables. That is, what did the company’s marketers want to say?

That is, there seems to be a lot of things, a lot of functions, but if only it all worked properly in reality.

If you play sports, then pay attention to the headset Samsung Gear IconX, but I think this device is more suitable for owners Samsung smartphones. The Jabra Elite Sport headset hits the market at the end of December, is aimed at lovers of a sports lifestyle and will cost about 20,000 rubles. I note that I have not tested this device yet and cannot say anything about functionality or features.

At retail, AirPods cost 12,990 rubles, there are no serious complaints about the device. Let's talk about the advantages:

The simplest possible connection to Apple technology.
Acceptable operating time, fast charging
Excellent sound quality.
Excellent voice quality, natural, is a huge plus.
Easy controls, working with Siri (for example, the “Pause music” command stops music playback in any program, not only in the basic player, this is logical and correct).
Easy to use headphones, charging module (even a child can figure it out).
No problems with connection, work during the day, reconnections, etc.
Although there is no special protection against sweat, they can be used in the gym - the headphones do not have a cable, they do not cling to anything, and are comfortable to wear for a long time. About “to buy or not for sports?” I advise you to make a decision yourself based on the individual characteristics of your body.

The device has no serious disadvantages; you can read about roughness above.

Of course, for some, everything is never enough, and critics will find what should have been added here - but put yourself in the place of an engineer and imagine what a titanic work it was. Take regular EarPods and turn them wireless. AirPods 2 will probably increase operating time, add protection from water and sweat, maybe make AirPods Sport with a heart rate sensor, add GPS and additional settings for sound and headphone behavior.

But even now AirPods will not disappoint the owner. I repeat, there is a feeling of some kind of magic when you take the headphones out of the case and start listening to music. As they say, respect and respect to everyone involved in the creation of AirPods. Special thanks for the sound and ease of connection, I believe millions of people will appreciate both. I highly recommend the gadget to all owners of Apple equipment. Of course, AirPods will not replace Bose QC or models with a heart rate sensor, but as an everyday model for various purposes (music, games, movies, conversation), they perform well.

Concluding the review, I would like to note this. As a piece of the puzzle, AirPods have taken their rightful place in the bunch of Apple devices; together with a smartphone, watch and laptop, headphones allow you to concentrate entirely on work, not miss calls and notifications, and they fit into this picture very naturally. The good old EarPods, only now completely wireless, just as comfortable – and noticeable from afar. Whether this is good or bad, a person with AirPods attracts glances, people ask: “Oh, are these the same headphones? And how are they doing? Are you good?

P.S. Several amendments to the text. Once connected to your iPhone, the headphones are recognized by your iCloud account, so they become familiar to all your devices registered in the cloud. Therefore, connecting to an iPad, MacBook Pro, Apple TV does not require additional manipulations; you just need to select the gadget in the audio devices menu. A sensor for touch control is located on each earcup, that is, the headphones are symmetrical, you can control playback, Siri, and calls from any ear. You can also listen to music through one earphone; let’s say you took out one cup and the music paused; just press Play on the iPhone to continue playing. Probably, during operation some other points will become clear, we will add them to the review.

A pleasant but expensive gift for connoisseurs of apple products

Simultaneously with new iPhones Apple company announced another interesting device: AirPods wireless headphones. This is the first time Apple has released Bluetooth headphones, but this decision was self-evident - in new iPhones There is no 3.5 mm headset jack, so iPhone 7/7 Plus owners have to either use an adapter or carry branded headphones with a Lightning connector.

And in general, the wires don’t really fit into Apple’s aesthetics, especially those like those on headphones - fragile, constantly breaking down, getting tangled in unimaginable knots in your pocket. Anyone who has used Apple smartphones or players for a long time knows that headphones (for all their beauty and, admittedly, good sound) are practically consumables.

So the release of AirPods was overdue and turned out to be completely logical. True, fans of the company could be disappointed by two facts: firstly, AirPods are not included with the smartphone, they must be purchased separately, and secondly, Apple did not have time to release headphones at the same time as the iPhone 7/7 Plus.

Equipment

Let's say right away: AirPods are a product in which, despite its apparent simplicity, you can feel the magic of Apple. And this magic begins with the box: square, white, but with a convex glossy image of the headphones.

When we open the box, we get a new wave of pleasant emotions: inside there is a traditional envelope with leaflets/manuals, and under it there is a Lightning cable and a rectangular box made of white glossy plastic, but with strongly rounded sides. It contains the headphones themselves.

We open the lid of the box (it is magnetized, so to lift it, you need to apply a little effort - and this is a separate pleasure). And we see two headphones. Each of them is again held in place by a magnet, so you have to overcome some resistance to pull them out.

Now - the most interesting part: this white plastic box is not just packaging. This is a docking station. When the headphones are in it, they are charged, as evidenced by the color LED indicator. When the headphones are charging, it flashes red, and when they are fully charged, it glows green.

Additionally, the LED indicator may turn white when you press the flat white button on the back of the dock. It is needed to connect headphones to Apple devices, which are not signed in to iCloud. We will tell you more about connecting AirPods to different gadgets below.

Of course, the docking station itself also needs to be charged, and for this there is a Lightning connector at the bottom of it. So, you can use the same cable for this as you use to charge your iPhone.

Design

Externally, AirPods look very similar to traditional EarPods, except, of course, for the lack of wires. The shape of the “droplets” themselves is almost identical. And, it should be noted, this is a good decision, since the shape of the Apple headphones is truly optimal.

However, a closer comparison of AirPods and EarPods reveals a number of differences that are quite significant in terms of functionality. Firstly, the leg of AirPods is longer and thicker than that of EarPods, which is quite logical: after all, the Apple W1 processor, accelerometer, battery, and Bluetooth module are located there. Secondly, next to the miniature speaker grille, we see proximity sensors on the AirPods on the front and back (the EarPods don’t have them). AirPods know when you put them in your ears and when you take them out!

And the third difference: AirPods have more holes for microphones, including one located at the bottom of the stem. And this is understandable, because one of the main scenarios for their use is as a Bluetooth headset and at the same time a Siri call device.

An interesting solution (no longer related to functionality, but to the appearance of the product) is the metal edging of the lower part. It may seem alien (although we don’t think so), but at the same time it creates a complete image.

Note that the AirPods fit well in the ears and do not fall out with sudden movements of the head. However, we cannot guarantee that on the street, for example, when running, they will not jump out at the most inopportune moment. This is perhaps the most risky moment.

Regarding subjective assessment appearance, then, in our opinion, it is beautiful in itself. But there is a nuance: a person with these headphones looks rather strange. From the outside it may seem that these are some strange decorations in the ears, hearing aid or something like that. Everyone has long been accustomed to the sight of Bluetooth headsets, even more so to ordinary headphones, but here is something different.

This fact, as well as the hypothetical probability of losing an earphone (at least one), stops you from getting AirPods and using them outdoors. However, we admit that this is a matter of habit.

Connecting and interacting with iPhone

The magic continues when we decide that it’s enough to admire and it’s time to connect the headphones to the iPhone and start using them for their intended purpose. So, having internally prepared for the need to press some buttons, go into the Bluetooth settings on the smartphone, make connection attempts one after another, we open the lid of the docking station, placing the iPhone next to it - and immediately we see a window appearing on it with an image of headphones and a proposal connect them.

Once connected, this window will display the charge of both the headphones themselves and the docking station. Well, in order to get started, you just need to insert the headphones into your ears, hear a beep and play music on your iPhone.

If you remove one earbud from your ear while music is playing, it will automatically pause. If you remove both headphones, playback will be completed.

Calling Siri is implemented in an equally simple way. All you have to do is tap your finger twice on any earphone and Siri will be activated.

As for incoming and outgoing calls, in the first case they are automatically sent to the headphones, and in the second - when dialing a number on the iPhone, we can choose whether the sound will go to the headphones or to the smartphone speakers.

Connecting to Apple Watch

One of the most interesting opportunities AirPods - collaboration with smart watch Apple Watch. Starting with watchOS 3.0, the watch can be used as music player without communication with the iPhone, that is, play music stored directly in the Apple Watch memory. But, of course, this requires wireless headphones. AirPods are ideal for this task.

True, the connection diagram here is a little more complicated than in the case of the iPhone. First, you need to download music to your watch - to do this you need to go to Apple app Watch on iPhone, open the “Music” section and sync it with the watch. It is important that music can only sync with the watch when it is connected to charger(even if the watch is already charged).

After the music is synced with the Apple Watch, you need to launch the Music application on the watch and select the watch from two playback sources. After that, go to “Settings” on the watch, select Bluetooth and click on AirPods (although they may be automatically connected).

That's it, after that you can play music directly from the watch, transferring it to the headphones without an intermediary in the form of an iPhone. This means that, for example, you don’t have to take your smartphone with you to the gym or for a run.

The sound quality when playing music from the watch is no different from that when using a smartphone. But we will talk about this issue in more detail later.

Connecting to other devices

To use AirPods, it is recommended that you have a device running macOS Sierra, iOS 10 or watchOS 3. We talked about how to connect AirPods to iPhone and Apple Watch, and here we will explain how synchronization with iPad and MacBook or iMac occurs.

On a computer running macOS Sierra, click on the volume speaker in the top menu bar and select AirPods in the “Output Device” section. On the iPad, the scheme is the same as in the case of the iPhone, but if you are not logged into your iCloud account there or automatic connection does not work for some other reason, open the docking station with headphones, press and hold the button on the docking station - and wait for the headphone window to appear.

The same scheme works with devices from other manufacturers. Many sites (including discussions on the official Apple website) report that headphones are incompatible with smartphones, tablets and laptops running other OSes. However, we tested AirPods with a OnePlus 3 smartphone and found that they connect to it in the same way and work quite well.

True, there are two nuances. Firstly, before you start playing music, the headphones make a slight background noise (hissing) and every few seconds an unpleasant click sounds - as if a connection or some kind of switching is happening. Secondly, during music playback this background noise, although barely noticeable, still remains. We emphasize that all this does not apply to Apple devices from the list of officially supported ones. But we'll talk about this in the next section.

Sound quality and battery life

Even before our “face-to-face” acquaintance, our main concern was the sound quality. Bluetooth headphones are notorious for background noise and serious sound deterioration, and this often applies even to expensive models. But Apple would not be itself if it had not achieved a sound that is almost indistinguishable from wired EarPods.

As for the operating time on a single charge, the headphones can provide about five hours of sound. That is, this is about five albums. Worthy result! And considering that to recharge them you just need to put them in the docking station (literally for 15 minutes - this will provide about three more hours of sound), the problem of “the headphones run out at the most inopportune moment” is unlikely to arise.

conclusions

There is a lot to love about AirPods: beautiful design, the most convenient docking station, maximum intuitiveness, excellent sound quality, but most importantly - that very Apple magic, which is felt most clearly in this product. Every moment of interaction with AirPods is a pleasure; many details of both software and hardware delight and delight like a child’s toy.

Is this joy worth almost 13,000? Here everyone can decide for themselves, depending on their income and the threshold for a spontaneous purchase. This is definitely not the most necessary thing, in some ways even controversial from the point of view practical use(we're talking about wearing them on the street), but very pleasant. An ideal gift for Apple lovers.

Apple AirPods deserve our Original Design award for their original designs that combine ease of use, functionality and great looks.

In Russia they are clearly not keen on the iPhone feature. The smartphone cannot be called an innovation.

Apple's first wireless stereo headset does not come bundled with the iPhone 7, but is sold separately for considerable RUB 12,999 .

The new “apple” product simply made me fall in love with it. A modest presentation, a two-minute video and I already want to buy this accessory. I don’t remember for a long time that a new product from Apple came out so desirable (it was a new device, not an updated one).

More attention should be paid, because the headset has its own 10 advantages.

1. Magic

The device looks impressive, we're just not used to it yet. It seems that the cable is from regular headphones just cut it off with scissors.

2. China is on vacation

In the vastness of AliExpress, we have already seen wireless in-ear headphones, but they looked simple, tasteless, and Chinese.

All attempts by Asian masters to release a gadget before Apple turned out to be a failure, anyone who has ever held such things in their hands understands what I mean.

3. Good autonomy

Yes, 5 hours of playback time is not the ultimate dream, but most wireless earbuds last even less.

Apple usually doesn't lie when it talks about the battery life of its devices.

4. Branded case-PowerBank

Fortunately, Apple did not make a simple charging case, but added a small battery to it. Of course, later Chinese craftsmen will release similar cases with a more capacious battery, but for most users the original box will be enough.

The Battery Case should provide 24 hours of operation, which is enough for several days of active use.

5. Fast charging technology

What we can't wait to see in the iPhone is already in Magic Mouse 2, Apple Pencil and AirPods. These gadgets can quickly get a charge that will last for several hours of use.

15 minutes in the charging case and you can listen to music for 3 hours.

6. Optical sensors and accelerometer

Powerful hardware accurately determines the position of the headphones, the headset will know when it is in the user's ear and when it is not. In conjunction with iOS 10, a smart pause will be implemented when removing headphones from your ears. It’s not for nothing that so many electronics were placed there.

7. You can use just one earphone

AirPods are suitable not only for listening to music, but also as a wireless headset. The same sensors inside will recognize which earphone is in your ear and turn on only that one. Both “ears” are the same and have a built-in microphone.

So when used as a headset for calls, the time battery life doubles.

8. Instant connection

To connect AirPods you don't need to go into iPhone settings or iPad and perform the pairing procedure. The gadget will automatically connect after it is taken out of the case. When the headphones are hidden, they will be disabled.

9. Quickly change devices

AirPods will be able to work with any gadget that is connected to your iCloud. Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad and Mac will easily output audio to headphones. In this case, no action is required with the latter; we simply switch to the appropriate output device from the desired device and listen.

You just have to update your devices to macOS Sierra, iOS 10 and watchOS 3.

10. Compatibility

Even during the presentation, the opinion crept in that AirPods would only work with the iPhone 7. Fortunately, Apple did not limit the range of gadgets. Now the compatibility list looks very decent.

As a bonus, a Lightning cable was included in the package. There aren't many of these on the farm.

Not everything is so smooth with the new headphones; they also have a number of disadvantages that you should think about before buying AirPods.

1. Compatibility

Owners of old iPhone models will be forced to upgrade to iOS 10 to use all the features new headset. It is possible that the accessory will refuse to connect at all when it sees previous versions mobile operating system.

We all know very well how old Apple smartphones behave on new firmware versions.

2. No playback control

3. Mediocre sound

For a device costing 2,000 rubles, this figure is perceived as normal, but an accessory costing 13,000 rubles should be capable of more.

4. Ease of use

Regular wired headphones sometimes fall out of the ear when used actively. The wire prevents the accessory from getting lost and flying away. The opposite will happen with wireless AirPods.

Imagine what awaits the owner of the accessory during rush hour on the subway. The slightest push or touch from passers-by and the earpiece disappears under the feet of the rushing crowd. Thousands of AirPods are doomed to be lost or trampled.

5. Price

Not the most affordable price tag will scare off many potential AirPods users. Of course, you have to pay for innovation, but you won’t get the device that was presented as an advantage of the iPhone 7 buying an iPhone 7.

Despite all the advantages and disadvantages, I still want this accessory. Your opinion is also interesting, help me make a choice.

In addition to the fact that the day before yesterday, September 7, at its traditional annual presentation, Apple presented the second generation of watches, the new generation AirPods wireless headphones were shown. Small Bluetooth headphones from Apple contain the company's latest developments.

The Apple company is committed to completely eliminating wires from its products. So what's so unique about these $159 wireless headphones?

5. New W1 processor

The newly developed W1 chip from Apple is responsible for most of the processes in this device. It is said to allow the headphones to extend the range of Bluetooth waves, making the connection better than other devices, while the energy-saving technology has been improved. New processor will also provide the buyer with better sound quality.

Trailer for Apple's new AirPods:

4. Many different sensors

Bluetooth headphones AirPods will come to the buyer “stuffed” with all sorts of sensors. This is necessary to save battery energy. For example, with the help of these sensors, the device can determine what its owner is currently doing: listening to music or talking.

Through the use of optical sensors and a special accelerometer that detects the movement of the headphones, EarPods can randomly turn off playing music if you are not currently using them. They can also detect if one of the two headphones is not in use and redirect the volume and microphone operation. A voice accelerometer and a microphone built into each earphone will help you determine when a conversation is taking place in mobile mode and drown out extraneous noise using special system noise reduction.

3. Easy call to Siri

Using Apple's AirPods wireless headphones, it's extremely easy to communicate with the Siri voice assistant. In order to call the virtual assistant, you need to double-tap on the earphone and Siri will appear on the Apple device to which the headset is connected. At the same time, you can communicate with the assistant through headphones without touching mobile device, and give him commands: call someone, play some track or check the weather.

2. Fast charging

AirPods themselves are no different. long work battery This is approximately 5 hours of simple listening to music, or 2 hours of talk time. This is very little, especially if you have to make a lot of calls. Fortunately, Apple came up with a solution. The kit in which new headphones are supplied upon sale includes a special case that serves as wireless charging for headphones. This case is said to be able to charge AirPods more than five times in a row. That is, you can use the Apple headset all day without using a power outlet.

However, we are already accustomed to the fact that any lithium ion batteries They do not charge as quickly as we would like. And given that AirPods will quickly discharge, Apple engineers equipped the device with technology fast charging. The headphones can be fully charged in just 15 minutes from a special case, and then continue listening to music for the next 5 hours.

Well, in order to find out the battery charge level, you can simply ask Siri about it without taking out your phone: “Siri, what’s wrong with the battery of my AirPods?”

1. Connect to any Apple device

The new AirPods are able to connect not only to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, which no longer have a 3.5 mm jack, but also to any other Apple devices: Macbook, iPad, older ones iPhone versions. If you once connected wireless AirPods via Bluetooth to your iPhone, then synchronization will occur via iCloud between all your devices connected to one account iTunes. And then, when playing music on one of them, you can select AirPods and listen to tracks through them.

The start date of sales of new AirPods in Russia is still unknown. Let me remind you that the American cost of headphones is $159 (~10,300 rubles).

What do you think about the new AirPods, are you going to buy them?

AirPods Pro are sweat and water resistant for non-water sports and exercise. AirPods Pro were tested under controlled laboratory conditions, and have a rating of IPX4 under IEC standard 60529. Sweat and water resistance are not permanent conditions and resistance might decrease as a result of normal wear. Do not attempt to charge wet AirPods Pro; refer to for cleaning and drying instructions. The charging case is not sweat or water resistant.
Testing conducted by Apple in October 2019 using preproduction AirPods Pro with Wireless Charging Case and software paired with iPhone 11 Pro Max units and prerelease software. The playlist consisted of 358 unique audio tracks purchased from the iTunes Store(256-Kbps AAC encoding). Volume was set to 50% and Active Noise Cancellation was enabled. With Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency turned off, listening time was up to 5 hours. Testing consisted of full AirPods Pro battery discharge while playing audio until the first AirPod Pro stopped playback. Battery life depends on device settings, environment, usage, and many other factors.
Testing conducted by Apple in February 2019 using preproduction AirPods (2nd generation), Charging Case, and Wireless Charging Case units and software paired with iPhone XS Max units and prerelease software. The playlist consisted of 358 unique audio tracks purchased from the iTunes Store (256-Kbps AAC encoding). Volume was set to 50%. Testing consisted of full AirPods battery discharge while playing audio until the first AirPod stopped playback. Battery life depends on device settings, environment, usage, and many other factors.
Testing conducted by Apple in October 2019 using preproduction AirPods Pro with Wireless Charging Case and software paired with iPhone 11 Pro Max units and prerelease software. The playlist consisted of 358 unique audio tracks purchased from the iTunes Store (256-Kbps AAC encoding). Volume was set to 50% and Active Noise Cancellation was enabled. Testing consisted of full AirPods Pro battery discharge while playing audio until the first AirPod Pro stopped playback. The drained AirPods Pro were charged to 100 percent, then audio playback was resumed until the first AirPod Pro stopped playback. This cycle was repeated until both the AirPods Pro and charging case were fully discharged. Battery life depends on device settings, environment, usage, and many other factors.
Testing conducted by Apple in February 2019 using preproduction AirPods (2nd generation), Charging Case, and Wireless Charging Case units and software paired with iPhone Xs Max units and prerelease software. The playlist consisted of 358 unique audio tracks purchased from the iTunes Store (256-Kbps AAC encoding). Volume was set to 50%. Testing consisted of full AirPods battery discharge while playing audio until the first AirPod stopped playback. The drained AirPods were charged to 100 percent, then audio playback was resumed until the first AirPod stopped playback. This cycle was repeated until both the AirPods and charging case were fully discharged. Battery life depends on device settings, environment, usage, and many other factors.