6 ms·

I feel like the value prop would be better if they looked good. I feel like for the purpose of signalling status with ear-accessories Airpods Pro are gonna do a

I feel like the value prop would be better if they looked good. I feel like for the purpose of signalling status with ear-accessories Airpods Pro are gonna do a better job these days. It's a neat idea, I maybe you could do something with an industrial or similar piercing and take advantage of vibrating the actual cartilage of the ear? Maybe I just have bad taste but I wouldn't wear these, I hope there's leeway in the design to make something more attractive.

baxter001 6y ago
"signalling status with ear-accessories Airpods Pro are gonna do a better job these days." Excellent point, one doesn't need an earphone that looks like traditional jewellery if the earphone is already fulfilling the purpose of traditional jewellery.
- elhudy 6y ago
  Jewelry isn't always for signaling status. Some people appreciate the art and craftsmanship of it.
  - tengbretson 6y ago
    "I'm the type that appreciates art and craftsmanship" is signalling.
    - airstrike 6y ago
      Assuming that whoever bought it did think / say that sentence to begin with. A lot of the time the purchase is driven by the desire to find self-actualization, to borrow from Maslow. Even if it's driven by a need for esteem, who's to say that's not a worthwhile goal?
    - elhudy 6y ago
      I have paintings hanging in my house, in rooms that literally nobody will ever see. But I enjoy having them there. Is that practical? No. Is it signaling? Also no. But I enjoy them for whatever inexplicable reason. Not everybody chooses what they wear with other people's opinions in mind. Some people might find this incomprehensible, but I'm not sure how to convince them otherwise.
      - lovemenot 6y ago
        Now that you've told us all, job done! Sorry, I couldn't resist. In fact I admire and agree with what you said.
        elhudy 6y ago
        Yes, I will go take them down now :)
        bbarnett 6y ago
        Then you are left as I am, a house with no paintings, posters, wall decorations of any kind! All such things are clutter to me, and in fact, I even reject re-painting the walls. I fear that I will notice the room is smaller, after that coating of paint. I'm worried that now I'm signalling, that I'm not signalling, which is signalling now. Maybe. So I support you, fellow non-signalling, and non-non-signalling kin! Yes, you can have paintings, just because you like them. (Please don't tell me that I'm signalling by non-non-signalling!)
      - Talanes 6y ago
        A signal does not require conscious intent. What you choose to wear says something about you whether you intend to or not.
    - WWLink 6y ago
      I don't think it usually is. It's not like earrings are sold exclusively at jewellery stores. You can find them at drug stores, grocery stores, gas stations, random street vendors, and all sorts of other places. You can easily buy earrings for less than $10, and less than $5, too. That's also true with lots of other fashion accessories. It's definitely true with headphones as well. Aesthetics were an enormous part of the Beats brand, and a bunch of other headphone companies. If aesthetics weren't important, you'd see more people walking around with monoprice headphones.
- egypturnash 6y ago
  While status signaling is certainly a part of the purpose of jewelry, it also serves aesthetic purposes that earphones generally completely fail at. Those Airpods don't match your necklace, or harmonize with the green accents in the pattern of your skirt, or with the blue of your eyes. Earrings can also signal higher status than Airpods; any middle-class schlub can spend $250 on earbuds. That pales next to the numbers that earrings made from precious metals and gems can quietly whisper to anyone who notices them.
  - lotsofpulp 6y ago
    Can people tell the difference between expensive "real" jewelry and less expensive fake jewelry (not the $10 fakes, but the more expensive fake stuff)?
    - smabie 6y ago
      probably most people can't. But historically and still today among Arabs, a women's jewelry is one of the few things she absolutely owns. In that way, gold jewelry serves as insurance against divorce and other stuff like that.
  - Aurum197 6y ago
    egypturnash, "quietly whisper"! We almost named our earrings whisperings.
    - egypturnash 6y ago
      That portmanteau is so so close to working and yet so far, no matter what gyrations you go through! Must’ve been frustrating.
- Aurum197 6y ago
  @baxter001, good point. But we don't see our earrings as an alternative to AirPods. We see them as different-occasion hearables. At parties, or meetings or any situation where AirPods would not only look incongruous but be a social faux pas as well.
Aurum197 6y ago
Errantspark, yes, of course. The earrings can be made in a number of different sizes, shapes, and price points. Which is why we made our module removable: several earrings will work with the same module. We can have several different styles to appeal to different tastes.
Theodores 6y ago
> something with an industrial or similar piercing... Although Baby Boomers are horrified by the style, it is acceptable these days to have large 'plugs' worn in the ears lobes with them being nothing more than valueless plastic. If you could have built in headphones then there would be a good reason to stretch one's ears and add industrial barbells. The stretched ears people that are around today will be needing hearing aids one day. This might be decades away, and they might not present a huge market, however, there is plenty of time to develop some hearing aids just for them.

baxter001 6y ago

"signalling status with ear-accessories Airpods Pro are gonna do a better job these days." Excellent point, one doesn't need an earphone that looks like traditional jewellery if the earphone is already fulfilling the purpose of traditional jewellery.

elhudy 6y ago
Jewelry isn't always for signaling status. Some people appreciate the art and craftsmanship of it.
- tengbretson 6y ago
  "I'm the type that appreciates art and craftsmanship" is signalling.
  - airstrike 6y ago
    Assuming that whoever bought it did think / say that sentence to begin with. A lot of the time the purchase is driven by the desire to find self-actualization, to borrow from Maslow. Even if it's driven by a need for esteem, who's to say that's not a worthwhile goal?
  - elhudy 6y ago
    I have paintings hanging in my house, in rooms that literally nobody will ever see. But I enjoy having them there. Is that practical? No. Is it signaling? Also no. But I enjoy them for whatever inexplicable reason. Not everybody chooses what they wear with other people's opinions in mind. Some people might find this incomprehensible, but I'm not sure how to convince them otherwise.
    - lovemenot 6y ago
      Now that you've told us all, job done! Sorry, I couldn't resist. In fact I admire and agree with what you said.
      - elhudy 6y ago
        Yes, I will go take them down now :)
        bbarnett 6y ago
        Then you are left as I am, a house with no paintings, posters, wall decorations of any kind! All such things are clutter to me, and in fact, I even reject re-painting the walls. I fear that I will notice the room is smaller, after that coating of paint. I'm worried that now I'm signalling, that I'm not signalling, which is signalling now. Maybe. So I support you, fellow non-signalling, and non-non-signalling kin! Yes, you can have paintings, just because you like them. (Please don't tell me that I'm signalling by non-non-signalling!)
    - Talanes 6y ago
      A signal does not require conscious intent. What you choose to wear says something about you whether you intend to or not.
  - WWLink 6y ago
    I don't think it usually is. It's not like earrings are sold exclusively at jewellery stores. You can find them at drug stores, grocery stores, gas stations, random street vendors, and all sorts of other places. You can easily buy earrings for less than $10, and less than $5, too. That's also true with lots of other fashion accessories. It's definitely true with headphones as well. Aesthetics were an enormous part of the Beats brand, and a bunch of other headphone companies. If aesthetics weren't important, you'd see more people walking around with monoprice headphones.
egypturnash 6y ago
While status signaling is certainly a part of the purpose of jewelry, it also serves aesthetic purposes that earphones generally completely fail at. Those Airpods don't match your necklace, or harmonize with the green accents in the pattern of your skirt, or with the blue of your eyes. Earrings can also signal higher status than Airpods; any middle-class schlub can spend $250 on earbuds. That pales next to the numbers that earrings made from precious metals and gems can quietly whisper to anyone who notices them.
- lotsofpulp 6y ago
  Can people tell the difference between expensive "real" jewelry and less expensive fake jewelry (not the $10 fakes, but the more expensive fake stuff)?
  - smabie 6y ago
    probably most people can't. But historically and still today among Arabs, a women's jewelry is one of the few things she absolutely owns. In that way, gold jewelry serves as insurance against divorce and other stuff like that.
- Aurum197 6y ago
  egypturnash, "quietly whisper"! We almost named our earrings whisperings.
  - egypturnash 6y ago
    That portmanteau is so so close to working and yet so far, no matter what gyrations you go through! Must’ve been frustrating.
Aurum197 6y ago
@baxter001, good point. But we don't see our earrings as an alternative to AirPods. We see them as different-occasion hearables. At parties, or meetings or any situation where AirPods would not only look incongruous but be a social faux pas as well.

Aurum197 6y ago

Errantspark, yes, of course. The earrings can be made in a number of different sizes, shapes, and price points. Which is why we made our module removable: several earrings will work with the same module. We can have several different styles to appeal to different tastes.

Theodores 6y ago

> something with an industrial or similar piercing... Although Baby Boomers are horrified by the style, it is acceptable these days to have large 'plugs' worn in the ears lobes with them being nothing more than valueless plastic. If you could have built in headphones then there would be a good reason to stretch one's ears and add industrial barbells. The stretched ears people that are around today will be needing hearing aids one day. This might be decades away, and they might not present a huge market, however, there is plenty of time to develop some hearing aids just for them.