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Why would you say something like that when these Apple headphones are not at all aimed at people that want headphones that do the bare minimum job and nothing e

Why would you say something like that when these Apple headphones are not at all aimed at people that want headphones that do the bare minimum job and nothing else? Comparing your $100 Sennheisers to these misses the point completely.

asldihgiyug 6y ago
What do these Apple headphones do that others don't? Perhaps maybe other than ecosystem lock?
- na85 6y ago
  They signal you have enough disposable income to buy them. It's like a Rolex you wear on your head. Edit: I'm not being facetious, this is an excellent move for Apple to make as it continues to pursue dominance in the luxury tech-wearables market.
  - runawaybottle 6y ago
    Not sure why you are being downvoted. This is obviously a real dynamic. Expensive tech gear is somewhat like an entry level luxury vehicle for the masses. You’re not seriously rich enough for a S-Class Benz, but you could live that aspiration via older model CLA. So yeah, not quite rich enough to buy a house in major cities, but hey, you can certainly splurge on this kind of stuff.
- binaryblitz 6y ago
  For me, the ability to switch between audio on all my devices instantly. Listening on my mac, answer a call on my iPhone automatically. I realize this is a niche use case, but would be really nice for me. The ability to just take them off and have them pause is icing on the cake as well. If other headphones have these features, I'm open to them.
  - whatevertrevor 6y ago
    My Jabra elites do both those things (multiple devices with instant switch on calls & auto pause with on-ear detection), and are much cheaper. The only thing they don't have is the adaptive EQ but the jury's still out on how much of that is just a marketing gimmick.
    - dkonofalski 6y ago
      I have a Jabra elite headphones and you're either overselling it by a lot or only switch between 2 devices. They're garbage compared to my Airpods and their app is absolutely terrible. It wouldn't even let me connect to Zoom without upgrading the firmware on them which failed every time. Without the upgrade, it sounded like a crappy phone call whenever I'd get a Zoom call. After the upgrade, it sounds like a slightly less crappy phone call.
      - deleted 6y ago
        [deleted]
      - binaryblitz 6y ago
        Yeah, that's my issue. I have a pair of Anker in-ears (Liberty Pro 2) for working out and they're great for that. When it comes to being at my desk during work, seamless switching is what I need.
      - whatevertrevor 6y ago
        No I'm not, your experience is not universal. I use them consistently between my phone and laptop without issue. I've never really needed to connect headphones to more than 2 devices. If you're using a macbook you need to ensure you're using the AAC codec, for some reason macOS makes SBC as the default codec for lots of devices and you've to force it to use the non-garbage codec.
        dkonofalski 6y ago
        How can you say "No, I'm not" when I've explicitly made the point that the Jabra headset can only have 2 active connections. Just because you've never needed to connect more than 2 devices doesn't mean that this isn't an important distinction for me or others. I literally said "you're either overselling this or only using 2 devices".
drng 6y ago
Top comment was talking about how it's nice to have headphones that "just work" as headphones are expected to. The response that $100 Sennheisers do the same thing is perfectly reasonable. Lest you miss the point completely: This is speaking to the audience who only want the "just works" headphones and not the $400 worth of differentiating features.
- dkonofalski 6y ago
  No, the top comment was talking specifically about the problems that Apple has addressed with their headphones through hardware and software. It's not analogous at all. The point is that "their job" differs for some people and OP was pretty explicit on what "their job" meant to them.
  - sudosysgen 6y ago
    And the point is that most of the things perceived as only working on Apple are actually standard nowadays. You can automatically switch devices, you can automatically transform multi-channel audio to spatial audio on headphones, and so on.
    - dkonofalski 6y ago
      Name one device that switches automatically between devices as seamlessly as Airpods? I have Macs and PCs and the only device that I can use wirelessly without any issues are my Airpods. With the PC, it's just a click to connect. I have tried Jabra headsets, Sony, Bose, and others and none of them even come close so I have to politely disagree with that statement. If these Airpods Max are anything like my regular Airpods, that will be worth it just to add watching TV to that list.
      - tidepod12 6y ago
        I have Jabra Elites and I don't even have to "click to connect". They're connected to both devices at the same time. They're what I use every day for listening to music on one device and seamlessly switch to answering a call on another device, no press of any button required. I actually have AirPods too, and I consider the Jabras to be more seamless.

asldihgiyug 6y ago

What do these Apple headphones do that others don't? Perhaps maybe other than ecosystem lock?

na85 6y ago
They signal you have enough disposable income to buy them. It's like a Rolex you wear on your head. Edit: I'm not being facetious, this is an excellent move for Apple to make as it continues to pursue dominance in the luxury tech-wearables market.
- runawaybottle 6y ago
  Not sure why you are being downvoted. This is obviously a real dynamic. Expensive tech gear is somewhat like an entry level luxury vehicle for the masses. You’re not seriously rich enough for a S-Class Benz, but you could live that aspiration via older model CLA. So yeah, not quite rich enough to buy a house in major cities, but hey, you can certainly splurge on this kind of stuff.
binaryblitz 6y ago
For me, the ability to switch between audio on all my devices instantly. Listening on my mac, answer a call on my iPhone automatically. I realize this is a niche use case, but would be really nice for me. The ability to just take them off and have them pause is icing on the cake as well. If other headphones have these features, I'm open to them.
- whatevertrevor 6y ago
  My Jabra elites do both those things (multiple devices with instant switch on calls & auto pause with on-ear detection), and are much cheaper. The only thing they don't have is the adaptive EQ but the jury's still out on how much of that is just a marketing gimmick.
  - dkonofalski 6y ago
    I have a Jabra elite headphones and you're either overselling it by a lot or only switch between 2 devices. They're garbage compared to my Airpods and their app is absolutely terrible. It wouldn't even let me connect to Zoom without upgrading the firmware on them which failed every time. Without the upgrade, it sounded like a crappy phone call whenever I'd get a Zoom call. After the upgrade, it sounds like a slightly less crappy phone call.
    - deleted 6y ago
      [deleted]
    - binaryblitz 6y ago
      Yeah, that's my issue. I have a pair of Anker in-ears (Liberty Pro 2) for working out and they're great for that. When it comes to being at my desk during work, seamless switching is what I need.
    - whatevertrevor 6y ago
      No I'm not, your experience is not universal. I use them consistently between my phone and laptop without issue. I've never really needed to connect headphones to more than 2 devices. If you're using a macbook you need to ensure you're using the AAC codec, for some reason macOS makes SBC as the default codec for lots of devices and you've to force it to use the non-garbage codec.
      - dkonofalski 6y ago
        How can you say "No, I'm not" when I've explicitly made the point that the Jabra headset can only have 2 active connections. Just because you've never needed to connect more than 2 devices doesn't mean that this isn't an important distinction for me or others. I literally said "you're either overselling this or only using 2 devices".

drng 6y ago

Top comment was talking about how it's nice to have headphones that "just work" as headphones are expected to. The response that $100 Sennheisers do the same thing is perfectly reasonable. Lest you miss the point completely: This is speaking to the audience who only want the "just works" headphones and not the $400 worth of differentiating features.

dkonofalski 6y ago
No, the top comment was talking specifically about the problems that Apple has addressed with their headphones through hardware and software. It's not analogous at all. The point is that "their job" differs for some people and OP was pretty explicit on what "their job" meant to them.
- sudosysgen 6y ago
  And the point is that most of the things perceived as only working on Apple are actually standard nowadays. You can automatically switch devices, you can automatically transform multi-channel audio to spatial audio on headphones, and so on.
  - dkonofalski 6y ago
    Name one device that switches automatically between devices as seamlessly as Airpods? I have Macs and PCs and the only device that I can use wirelessly without any issues are my Airpods. With the PC, it's just a click to connect. I have tried Jabra headsets, Sony, Bose, and others and none of them even come close so I have to politely disagree with that statement. If these Airpods Max are anything like my regular Airpods, that will be worth it just to add watching TV to that list.
    - tidepod12 6y ago
      I have Jabra Elites and I don't even have to "click to connect". They're connected to both devices at the same time. They're what I use every day for listening to music on one device and seamlessly switch to answering a call on another device, no press of any button required. I actually have AirPods too, and I consider the Jabras to be more seamless.