5 ms·

My opinion: Google is selling and pricing hardware based on software capabilities. For a lot of people, myself included, some of these features are amazing.

by axaxs 9y ago

My opinion: Google is selling and pricing hardware based on software capabilities. For a lot of people, myself included, some of these features are amazing. That said, at the end of the day, it's still a $160 version of something that are commonly broken, and have cheaper 'dumb' versions of for a few bucks. This makes me really hesitant to buy. Ideally, what I'd like to see to make myself, and I'm sure some others, a buyer is a free replacement program. I'm more than willing to support awesome software if I don't have to worry about it's backing hardware breaking so easily, especially something a lot of folks jam in their pockets.

lern_too_spel 9y ago
I see Google's recent hardware plays as Google trying to get into the high margin fashion industry, which is currently Apple's exclusive domain. Sony used to be the other tech fashion company. Google will have a hard time dragging along its existing customers, who are not primarily interested in fashion.
- tlholaday 9y ago
  You go to the trouble of getting into a different industry in order to find new customers. Your existing customers are already your customers.
  - WalterSear 9y ago
    If you stop selling products they want, you don't get to keep them.
    - joshuamorton 9y ago
      What hardware was Google selling before?
      - dmitrygr 9y ago
        Nexus phones that were good and didn't start at $800
        joshuamorton 9y ago
        So, like the pixel 2?
        deleted 9y ago
        [deleted]
      - wpietri 9y ago
        Phones with a headphone jack.
rando444 9y ago
Isn't that what a warranty is? I would imagine they have a standard manufacturer's warranty, and if you have a decent credit card, that warranty is usually extended.
- camus2 9y ago
  > Isn't that what a warranty is? Does warranty covers broken hardware? If you step on these buds, is google going to replace them?
  - zwily 9y ago
    Lots of credit cards automatically add accidental damage warranty to purchases.
    - wlesieutre 9y ago
      Typically for 90 days, which if I'm spending $160 on earbuds had better be a tiny fraction of their lifespan. Obviously it's better to have 90 days of accidental damage protection than to have none, but my wired earbuds are a couple of years old and would cost maybe $20 to replace with another decent pair.
  - slg 9y ago
    A lot of people rag on the extended warranties from places like Best Buy, but they are perfect for things like this. I spent roughly $200 on a pair of Bose earbuds almost a decade ago. They are in my pocket everyday and they therefore take a beating. Their general lifespan for me is 12-18 months. Sometimes the buttons start sticking. Sometimes the wire starts to fray. Sometimes one ear randomly dies. Sometimes I forget them in my pocket and they go through the washing machine. Whatever the problem, I take them to Best Buy and get a free replacement and re-up the extended warranty for $20. I am probably on my 6th or 7th pair at this point.
jib 9y ago
I'm on the other side I guess, but with the same conclusion. I can tell from the design that I will never wear those ear buds. There is no way to create a decent seal in the ear using just hard plastic, so the sound will suffer for music, and that's the main reason I buy earbuds. I'm not a snob about music stuff, but for around 100 USD I get a decent pair of earbuds that create a proper seal and gives me good music quality. I'd love the features, but I'm not going to sacrifice the main reason I use in-ear headphones in the first place - the ability to relatively cheaply have good quality sound.
- nvarsj 9y ago
  They can be a safety hazard. Pedestrians wearing them don’t pay attention to their surroundings at all. The fact they are in ear means it’s hard to notice when someone is wearing them. I view non isolating as a necessary feature for earphones generally used on the go. I know people swear by them for long train and subway commutes but I think it’s pretty stupid wearing them for walking about, just like wearing headphones while cycling.
  - potatolicious 9y ago
    Agreed - I'm into these earbuds specifically because they don't seal. I have nice headphones at home for "actual" listening. When I'm out and about I have to balance sound quality with not getting hit by a bus. For me anything I wear outside needs to let in outside noise.
  - wpietri 9y ago
    Sure. Personally, I have both. Sound-isolating earbuds for uses in cafes, trains, etc. And non-isolating ones for running. Alas, given that Google has removed the headphone jack, that solution works less well here.
  - cptskippy 9y ago
    I have a pair of Sony's noise cancelling headphones and they seem to only cancel out constant or piercing loud noise like HVAC or a power saw. They let voices through clearly without muffling it like you would expect a regular pair of headphones to do. I haven't tried them outside, the sound of an approaching car seems like something they would filter out but they might have some smarts to them.

by axaxs 9y ago

lern_too_spel 9y ago

I see Google's recent hardware plays as Google trying to get into the high margin fashion industry, which is currently Apple's exclusive domain. Sony used to be the other tech fashion company. Google will have a hard time dragging along its existing customers, who are not primarily interested in fashion.

tlholaday 9y ago
You go to the trouble of getting into a different industry in order to find new customers. Your existing customers are already your customers.
- WalterSear 9y ago
  If you stop selling products they want, you don't get to keep them.
  - joshuamorton 9y ago
    What hardware was Google selling before?
    - dmitrygr 9y ago
      Nexus phones that were good and didn't start at $800
      - joshuamorton 9y ago
        So, like the pixel 2?
      - deleted 9y ago
        [deleted]
    - wpietri 9y ago
      Phones with a headphone jack.

rando444 9y ago

Isn't that what a warranty is? I would imagine they have a standard manufacturer's warranty, and if you have a decent credit card, that warranty is usually extended.

camus2 9y ago
> Isn't that what a warranty is? Does warranty covers broken hardware? If you step on these buds, is google going to replace them?
- zwily 9y ago
  Lots of credit cards automatically add accidental damage warranty to purchases.
  - wlesieutre 9y ago
    Typically for 90 days, which if I'm spending $160 on earbuds had better be a tiny fraction of their lifespan. Obviously it's better to have 90 days of accidental damage protection than to have none, but my wired earbuds are a couple of years old and would cost maybe $20 to replace with another decent pair.
- slg 9y ago
  A lot of people rag on the extended warranties from places like Best Buy, but they are perfect for things like this. I spent roughly $200 on a pair of Bose earbuds almost a decade ago. They are in my pocket everyday and they therefore take a beating. Their general lifespan for me is 12-18 months. Sometimes the buttons start sticking. Sometimes the wire starts to fray. Sometimes one ear randomly dies. Sometimes I forget them in my pocket and they go through the washing machine. Whatever the problem, I take them to Best Buy and get a free replacement and re-up the extended warranty for $20. I am probably on my 6th or 7th pair at this point.

jib 9y ago

I'm on the other side I guess, but with the same conclusion. I can tell from the design that I will never wear those ear buds. There is no way to create a decent seal in the ear using just hard plastic, so the sound will suffer for music, and that's the main reason I buy earbuds. I'm not a snob about music stuff, but for around 100 USD I get a decent pair of earbuds that create a proper seal and gives me good music quality. I'd love the features, but I'm not going to sacrifice the main reason I use in-ear headphones in the first place - the ability to relatively cheaply have good quality sound.

nvarsj 9y ago
They can be a safety hazard. Pedestrians wearing them don’t pay attention to their surroundings at all. The fact they are in ear means it’s hard to notice when someone is wearing them. I view non isolating as a necessary feature for earphones generally used on the go. I know people swear by them for long train and subway commutes but I think it’s pretty stupid wearing them for walking about, just like wearing headphones while cycling.
- potatolicious 9y ago
  Agreed - I'm into these earbuds specifically because they don't seal. I have nice headphones at home for "actual" listening. When I'm out and about I have to balance sound quality with not getting hit by a bus. For me anything I wear outside needs to let in outside noise.
- wpietri 9y ago
  Sure. Personally, I have both. Sound-isolating earbuds for uses in cafes, trains, etc. And non-isolating ones for running. Alas, given that Google has removed the headphone jack, that solution works less well here.
- cptskippy 9y ago
  I have a pair of Sony's noise cancelling headphones and they seem to only cancel out constant or piercing loud noise like HVAC or a power saw. They let voices through clearly without muffling it like you would expect a regular pair of headphones to do. I haven't tried them outside, the sound of an approaching car seems like something they would filter out but they might have some smarts to them.