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Short blog posts, journal entries, and random thoughts. Topics include a mix of personal and the world at large.

And it's gone

It was a particularly spendy weekend. And I didn’t even use that money for anything fun. The money was spent on replacing stuff I already have. After more than a decade of using the same electric shaver and electric toothbrush, (I’ve swapped out the brush heads many times, obviously) it was time to replace them with something new. Something with stronger battery and improved functions.

I’m not that picky in choosing what to buy when I’m not sure what’s best in that category. I’m as memetic and consensus-seeking as anyone when it comes to this. Research for what electric toothbrush and electric shaver to buy was incredibly simple: I visited Wirecutter. The top-rated toothbrush there is the Oral B Pro 1000, (at a surprisingly reasonable $50 dollars) while the best shaver is the Braun Series 7. (Fun fact: the Oral B toothbrush is also made in Germany by Braun.) I stopped research immediately and bought both on Amazon.

The Oral B toothbrush is a revelation. I can’t belief I stuck with an off-brand low power unit for so long. The motor in the Pro 1000 truly allows me to let the brush head do all the work. it’s a real electric toothbrush, rather than a brush that merely vibrates. I am supremely happy with this purchase.

What I’m not happy with is having to replace my barely three-years old AirPods Pro. The right-ear unit have developed an annoying crackle. This is a hugely disappointing quality miss for an Apple product. No big deal: guess I’ll just drop another $200 (original price is $250) on the newer AirPods Pro 2.

Soon as I put those on, I immediately forgot about the hefty expense. The claimed 2X improvement in active noise cancellation (Pro 2 versus the Pro 1) is absolutely true. The way the AirPods Pro 2 shuts out the outside world when you put them on is stunning, as if I’d entered a new aural dimension. These mere ear buds can definitely rival the noise cancellation capabilities of full-on headphones. It’s amazing to see how far that technology has come. I just hope this pair lasts way longer than three years of use. Fingers crossed.

Not so simple

My set of first-generation AirPods are on their last legs. A charge barely lasts one hour before I need to put them back in the case for a battery top up. One hour is not enough for a workout session, so I don’t use them for that. I also don’t use the AirPods for voice calls, as they would likely last only about 30 minutes. To me, these earphones have become effectively useless

It’s not that surprising: I bought these AirPods just after initial launch, way back in 2017. After five solid years of use, I somewhat expect the battery to go from its rated five hours of listening time down to just one. Battery aside, my AirPods are still functionally fine. Nothing is broken, nothing is falling off. What would be ideal then is to replace the battery and continue using them. Instead of buying a new set and tossing the old units into landfill.

A greener, most holistic approach to tech products nearing end of life.

Quick search on Apple reveals that there is battery replacement available for the AirPods. $49 dollars (as indicated) is not a bad price to get (hopefully) another five years of use. I quickly made a Genius Bar appointment at the local Apple Store.

Sadly, it was a bit of false advertising. Turns out, Apple absolutely does not perform battery replacement on AirPods. The company will simply swap out for another unit. The cost of which is more expensive that buying a new complete set of AirPods. That $49 figure earlier? That’s the cost to replace the charging case! At least the guy at the Genius Bar agreed the website is somewhat deceptive. He even commented that it’s Black Friday, and sales on AirPods are everywhere where electronics are sold.

Apparently, replacing the battery on AirPods is incredibly difficult. Which is probably why Apple doesn’t do it. The material and labor cost would make the procedure cost prohibitive. It is indeed cheaper and less hassle to buy a new pair. I guess I’m just dismayed at the disposability of it all. Companies ought to design with an eye towards longevity and reparability.

Then again, I’m the guy who gets a new iPhone every year…

AirPods Max impressions

The first thing that comes to mind when picking up a pair of AirPods Max is: “My god this thing is heavy.” The aluminum and stainless steel construction feels absolutely premium to the hand, but the weight penalty is significant. My old pair of Bose QC35 - all plastic construction - feels downright feathery in comparison. I’ve got a fairly large head, so the increased heft shouldn’t be a problem. However, I can definitely feel the weight whenever I move. AirPods Max is best suited for stationary use.

Which is a shame because the noise-cancelling is fantastic. That is to be expected from a headphone with ear cups that completely surround the ear. Coupled with the magic voodoo that Apple does with nine microphones, the AirPods Max will easily quiet down your world. It just sucks that I’m very unlikely to take them on the road. Because of the aforementioned weight, and because the provided carrying case does not protect the entire headphone.

The QC35 will stay in the stable.

From a sound quality perspective, I would say the AirPods Max sounds marginally better than the already fantastic AirPods Pro. Admittedly, I am very much not an audiophile. The files I’m playing are at best 320kbps MP3 files, streamed over a bluetooth connection. The fact that I can scarcely tell the difference between a $550 pair of headphone and a $250 pair of earbuds is probably down to the quality - or the relative lack thereof - of the music files.

And you definitely should not spend $550 on the AirPods Max if all you’re listening to are MP3 files. This headphone is a luxury item to the extreme. The reason I bought a pair was because Woot.com is selling officially Apple refurbished units for $369 (nice). That brings it in line with the other premium headphones on the market.

I bought the AirPods Pro

Yesterday I did my first big superfluous purchase since the COVID lockdowns began. That is, if we are not counting paying just under $1,500 a month to keep a Porsche GT3 I can’t drive on most days as a superfluous purchase. Not until I eventually buy a house (god willing) would I pay so much a month for a stationary object. My advice? Don’t be a car enthusiast; don’t have passion for material things at all: it will be a massive drain to your wallet.

But that would be quite a dull life, wouldn’t it?

Anyways, I’ve been doing well to not spend extraneously since the coronavirus situation began, in preparation for a hugely uncertain future. What broke the streak was a deal on Staples for the AirPods Pro: $50 dollars off, bring the price down to a slightly more palatable $200 dollars. While I wouldn’t say I’ve been pining for a pair of these earphones - I have a set of the original AirPods and they remain quite magical and lovely - the AirPods Pro have always been something of a nice-to-have. The standard AirPods are rather useless in crowds and areas with a lot of noise, and the Pro version supposedly solves that problem splendidly, offering a deeper in-ear seat and active noise cancellation.

I’m looking forward to going on a run with AirPods Pro; no longer would I have to crank the volume to an uncomfortable level simply to drown out the outside noise.

After informing them of this purchase, my friends asked what am I going to do with my basic set of AirPods. The answer is simple: continue using them. They remain great for quiet settings such as my room, and brilliant to use for Zoom meetings. AirPods feels so much more natural than the cumbersome and unsightly headsets that people tend to use with virtual meetings. The only gripe is that the battery drains super quickly when performing both talk and listening at the same time.

I can’t wait for the AirPods Pro to arrive next week; I’d almost forgotten what a joy it is indeed to spend disposable income on nice things.

I'm not getting the AirPods Pro

Okay, seriously this time: I’m not buying the new AirPods Pro.

At least not for the $250 dollar price the new Apple earphones command (I gave myself an out, didn’t I?) As someone who love and have waxed lyrical about the original AirPods, I’m just not seeing the value proposition in upgrading to the Pro, even though noise cancellation was on my wishlist of features to see in future AirPods. Well, Apple finally delivered that yesterday, and yet the hefty price-tag is giving me tremendous pause.

I already have a lovely - and expensive - pair of noise-cancelling headphones: the venerable Bose QC35, therefore yet another set of earbuds in addition to the two I have is very difficult to justify when the price is that high.

It’s not like we can trade in our first-generation AirPods for the new Pro, and barring that, what I am I suppose to do with them when the AirPods Pro arrive? In the Pro, you can turn off the noise-cancellation function, so it renders the original AirPods largely redundant. Maybe Apple should instate a trade-in program like the company does for iPhones. If I can get somewhere around $60 for my old AirPods towards the new Pro, I’d jump on that instantly. I refuse to treat electronics as disposable devices, and while the latest and greatest will always be enticing, I don’t have the wallet or the conscience (the lack thereof) to upgrade so cavalierly.

I also don’t want to play the game of selling old stuff on eBay (in my experience, the fees really kill the profit margin.) Besides, the only reason I wish the AirPods had noise-cancellation is because I want to use them on the typically loud bus. Now that I know how expensive the AirPods Pro are, there is no freaking way I am wearing them during my commute. Hate to say this, but some people are going to get robbed for their pair - especially in San Francisco.

So that’s about all the rationalizations I need to not buy the new AirPods Pro. I’ve no doubts I’m going to revisit this if and when my set of original AirPods die, though I have to say those things are quite robust indeed.

I’m not going to change my mind after a week. I swear!