- 🤔 One of Apple’s most famous accessories seems to have been discontinued
- 👋 The Lightning to 3.5mm jack adapter has sold out in the US
- 🌎 It’s also not available in other countries
- 🎧 The adapter was introduced in 2016 when Apple removed the headphone jack from the iPhone 7
There’s been some loud folks over the years but generally no one cares. 450+ million AirPods have been sold and the experience is arguably MUCH better than wired headphones.
For me, the switch to wireless earbuds has been mixed. Not having the cord get tangled and caught on things is nice, but I’ve come to dislike how precarious AirPods can feel (to me at least).
I’m always worried about them falling out of my ear and landing in a gutter or a toilet; I have to be careful pulling them out of their case and putting them back because they’re easy to slip out of my fingers; I always have to remember to keep the case charged; if I want to take them off temporarily, I can’t just drape them around my neck (at least not without 3rd party accessories but then you have to take those off to charge so more hassle). I feel like I just can’t be as spontaneous with them as with wired ear buds.
Of course everyone’s ears are different, but for me, my Jabras lock in. They aren’t going anywhere. They are designed to be twisted into place, causing a literal lock into your ear. I can force them out without touching them, but it takes work to do it, they aren’t falling out on their own, and if they start to come loose, I’ll know instantly because the seal is broke and I can hear that they aren’t settled in right.
Any professionals or enthusiasts who give a shit about sound quality used wired headphones. At the same time, I wouldn’t be using the lightning to 3.5mm adapter. I’d use an external DAC. There are lightning to USB-B cables for this purpose.
Audio latency with Bluetooth screws up things like music lessons in Duolingo.
A few weeks ago I was gardening with Pixel Buds on and one dropped into a pile of leaves. I spent ten minutes looking for the thing. Then the other day the same one dropped into the garbage disposal while I was doing the dishes.
I don’t mind the cheap Bluetooth headphones I have that wrap around my ear slightly. I can run in those without them dropping out.
When I want audio quality I use some over-ear Bose headphones.
I have no idea how people are ok with just the little buds for all use-cases.