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Moreover, it's amazing how they've managed to make a bluetooth accessory that is intuitive to older folks. I never bothered buying my parents bluetooth devices

by dereg 4y ago

Moreover, it's amazing how they've managed to make a bluetooth accessory that is intuitive to older folks. I never bothered buying my parents bluetooth devices because they'd always end up in the drawer from disuse. They use their Airpods daily and never ask me for help. A wonder.

8ytecoder 4y ago
I’ve seen people minimize the usability of the AirPods. My dad who’s quite technology-averse, figured it out in 2 minutes while I helped him over FaceTime. The only reason he agreed to even try it was because the wired EarPods broke. Since then he just loves his AirPods.
- aqme28 4y ago
  This is Apple’s strength in general. Much easier for older folks to use.
  - ASalazarMX 4y ago
    ...with other Apple products. FTFY Being Bluetooth, technically the Airpods will connect to say, a Dell laptop, but in practice they will have erratic behavior, which you can solve by buying a mac... and teaching said old folks how to use MacOS instead of Windows.
    - puyoxyz 4y ago
      While they don’t have the excellent UX of Airpods with Apple products when used with non-Apple products, I’ve never experienced this “erratic behavior”. They just work like bluetooth headphones with no weird issues. I regularly use them with my desktop on both Linux and Windows, I’ve used them with my Nintendo Switch, etc… and no erratic behavior
      - MBCook 4y ago
        Agreed. You put them in the case, hold the one button (basically the “pair” button) for a sec, and connect from your device. Bam. Work perfectly after that.
        tinus_hn 4y ago
        For some reason on Windows AirPods show up as two different types of devices (not left and right) one of which sounds very bad with a lot of noise. And of course if you connect AirPods with your iPhone and your Windows laptop they’ll start fighting over who gets to connect.
        jolux 4y ago
        I believe the different Bluetooth codecs show up as different devices under Windows, so I assume the noisy one is the one for calls. Not sure exactly why it’s like this.
        mbreese 4y ago
        Windows and Bluetooth headphones just don’t work well together, regardless of manufacturer. And good luck of the headphones also have a mic and support the headset profile. I recently went through this with a new Windows laptop. It was quite a shock after being in the Mac world for years how bad an experience Windows and headphones is.
        CDSlice 4y ago
        This isn’t an AirPods specific issue, it’s a Windows issue. My laptop does the same thing with my galaxy buds where it shows two devices when I connect them. One of them uses the Bluetooth profile for headphones which sounds decent and the other uses the profile for headsets which sounds like garbage but that is needed in order to have the bandwidth to use the built in mic.
        deleted 4y ago
        [deleted]
  - jonny_eh 4y ago
    And when it's easy enough for older folks, they're also generally better for even savvier users. I like hacking around a Linux workstation as much as the next nerd, but when I put BT headphones in my ears to listen to a podcast, I want it to just work. That said, every so often I need to toggle my iPhone's bluetooth switch in Settings. Even Apple's software isn't 100%.
  - brundolf 4y ago
    Much easier for everyone to use. When I first got my AirPods, they were the biggest single piece of life-friction-removal I've gotten from a piece of technology since my first smartphone
  - thathndude 4y ago
    I’ve never really unpacked this idea in my mind before, but if you stop for a second you can quickly appreciate how powerful this type of experience is. Older folks do not like feeling left behind. if Apple is causing them to feel liberated from their state of techno exile, that’s going to create insane goodwill.
    - solardev 4y ago
      And us younger folk appreciate not having to play tech support for the nthteenth time.
  - leetbulb 4y ago
    Not even older folks. The technologically exhausted, too. I write code for a living and hack on hardware as a hobby. When I go on a walk or just want to chill out, I absolutely love when this kind of stuff just works. I will (and do) pay a massive premium for that. Major respect to the developers, it's obviously a feat. The haters can go recompile gentoo :)
    - fezfight 4y ago
      Haters will continue to push the overton window back towards freedom. Your welcome.
      - karl-j 4y ago
        It is appreciated, but we all have to choose our battles.
  - can16358p 4y ago
    Not just older folks. As a dev and tech enthusiast, even if I dig into technical bits of many things, at the end of the day I want something that works, battle-tested, and reliable. (okay a few failures in past years like keyboard failures, but still better than competition) Apple just gives me that.
    - ricardobayes 4y ago
      My only huge issue with Apple is that they create this 'them and us' mentality. I can't share a raw iPhone video with non mac users, because of the proprietary format. If Apple really wants to create a universal computer, it should work at creating the interfaces with the rest of us. It should not be a walled garden. Removing this boundary would make me love Apple.
      - can16358p 4y ago
        Yeah, I agree, Apple has a reputation of doing things "its own way" which is sometimes frustrating for sure. BTW for that specific use case AFAIK iPhone uses H.265 and H.264 (and ProRes but I don't think you're mentioning that when saying "raw", rather meaning straight out of device) videos inside a MOV container, which are both widely available (with H.265 having some license fees but available virtually on every device).
stemlord 4y ago
Not that intuitive imo. I had to show my sister in law who is in her 50's that she needs to leave the case open with the airpods in it, then press the button on the back, in order to make them discoverable. Like all apple products they do sacrifice some discoverability in favor of a sexier minimalist look
- matt-attack 4y ago
  True, but at least it's a one time thing. And it results in automatic pairing to all devices in iCloud account.
- unglaublich 4y ago
  When you first connect them, iOS will automatically detect the presence of the AirPods and suggests to connect to them in a small window. Then your Apple account is used to make all your idevices recognize your AirPods. For 90% of people, that solves 100% of their problems.
- jen729w 4y ago
  When you bring an unpaired AirPods case close to a phone, all you need to do is open the lid. A photorealistic visual will appear on screen explaining what to do next. At this point, guided by the visual, you need to push the button on the back. If you can think of a simpler way, I’d give Apple a call.
  - stemlord 4y ago
    With an iphone maybe so. But open the lid with the airpods inside. She couldnt figure it out.
    - jen729w 4y ago
      Are you saying that she was pairing them with a non-Apple device? In which case, fair enough perhaps, but it feels a tad unfair to put the burden of universal discovery for all host devices on Apple. And is it really that un-discoverable? What would you do on any other Bluetooth device? You'd look for a button. What is there on the AirPods case? A button. I still say: if you have a simpler idea, let's hear it. Edit: and, I'm sure the AirPods come with a folded slip of paper in the box, as all Apple products do, explaining the very basics of how to get the thing working.
davidf18 4y ago
inasio 4y ago
I still remember the time I opened the box on a new Ipod, and there was no instruction booklet. The contrast with my previous device (a Sony minidisc player) was shocking.

by dereg 4y ago

8ytecoder 4y ago

I’ve seen people minimize the usability of the AirPods. My dad who’s quite technology-averse, figured it out in 2 minutes while I helped him over FaceTime. The only reason he agreed to even try it was because the wired EarPods broke. Since then he just loves his AirPods.

aqme28 4y ago
This is Apple’s strength in general. Much easier for older folks to use.
- ASalazarMX 4y ago
  ...with other Apple products. FTFY Being Bluetooth, technically the Airpods will connect to say, a Dell laptop, but in practice they will have erratic behavior, which you can solve by buying a mac... and teaching said old folks how to use MacOS instead of Windows.
  - puyoxyz 4y ago
    While they don’t have the excellent UX of Airpods with Apple products when used with non-Apple products, I’ve never experienced this “erratic behavior”. They just work like bluetooth headphones with no weird issues. I regularly use them with my desktop on both Linux and Windows, I’ve used them with my Nintendo Switch, etc… and no erratic behavior
    - MBCook 4y ago
      Agreed. You put them in the case, hold the one button (basically the “pair” button) for a sec, and connect from your device. Bam. Work perfectly after that.
      - tinus_hn 4y ago
        For some reason on Windows AirPods show up as two different types of devices (not left and right) one of which sounds very bad with a lot of noise. And of course if you connect AirPods with your iPhone and your Windows laptop they’ll start fighting over who gets to connect.
        jolux 4y ago
        I believe the different Bluetooth codecs show up as different devices under Windows, so I assume the noisy one is the one for calls. Not sure exactly why it’s like this.
        mbreese 4y ago
        Windows and Bluetooth headphones just don’t work well together, regardless of manufacturer. And good luck of the headphones also have a mic and support the headset profile. I recently went through this with a new Windows laptop. It was quite a shock after being in the Mac world for years how bad an experience Windows and headphones is.
        CDSlice 4y ago
        This isn’t an AirPods specific issue, it’s a Windows issue. My laptop does the same thing with my galaxy buds where it shows two devices when I connect them. One of them uses the Bluetooth profile for headphones which sounds decent and the other uses the profile for headsets which sounds like garbage but that is needed in order to have the bandwidth to use the built in mic.
        deleted 4y ago
        [deleted]
- jonny_eh 4y ago
  And when it's easy enough for older folks, they're also generally better for even savvier users. I like hacking around a Linux workstation as much as the next nerd, but when I put BT headphones in my ears to listen to a podcast, I want it to just work. That said, every so often I need to toggle my iPhone's bluetooth switch in Settings. Even Apple's software isn't 100%.
- brundolf 4y ago
  Much easier for everyone to use. When I first got my AirPods, they were the biggest single piece of life-friction-removal I've gotten from a piece of technology since my first smartphone
- thathndude 4y ago
  I’ve never really unpacked this idea in my mind before, but if you stop for a second you can quickly appreciate how powerful this type of experience is. Older folks do not like feeling left behind. if Apple is causing them to feel liberated from their state of techno exile, that’s going to create insane goodwill.
  - solardev 4y ago
    And us younger folk appreciate not having to play tech support for the nthteenth time.
- leetbulb 4y ago
  Not even older folks. The technologically exhausted, too. I write code for a living and hack on hardware as a hobby. When I go on a walk or just want to chill out, I absolutely love when this kind of stuff just works. I will (and do) pay a massive premium for that. Major respect to the developers, it's obviously a feat. The haters can go recompile gentoo :)
  - fezfight 4y ago
    Haters will continue to push the overton window back towards freedom. Your welcome.
    - karl-j 4y ago
      It is appreciated, but we all have to choose our battles.
- can16358p 4y ago
  Not just older folks. As a dev and tech enthusiast, even if I dig into technical bits of many things, at the end of the day I want something that works, battle-tested, and reliable. (okay a few failures in past years like keyboard failures, but still better than competition) Apple just gives me that.
  - ricardobayes 4y ago
    My only huge issue with Apple is that they create this 'them and us' mentality. I can't share a raw iPhone video with non mac users, because of the proprietary format. If Apple really wants to create a universal computer, it should work at creating the interfaces with the rest of us. It should not be a walled garden. Removing this boundary would make me love Apple.
    - can16358p 4y ago
      Yeah, I agree, Apple has a reputation of doing things "its own way" which is sometimes frustrating for sure. BTW for that specific use case AFAIK iPhone uses H.265 and H.264 (and ProRes but I don't think you're mentioning that when saying "raw", rather meaning straight out of device) videos inside a MOV container, which are both widely available (with H.265 having some license fees but available virtually on every device).

stemlord 4y ago

Not that intuitive imo. I had to show my sister in law who is in her 50's that she needs to leave the case open with the airpods in it, then press the button on the back, in order to make them discoverable. Like all apple products they do sacrifice some discoverability in favor of a sexier minimalist look

matt-attack 4y ago
True, but at least it's a one time thing. And it results in automatic pairing to all devices in iCloud account.
unglaublich 4y ago
When you first connect them, iOS will automatically detect the presence of the AirPods and suggests to connect to them in a small window. Then your Apple account is used to make all your idevices recognize your AirPods. For 90% of people, that solves 100% of their problems.
jen729w 4y ago
When you bring an unpaired AirPods case close to a phone, all you need to do is open the lid. A photorealistic visual will appear on screen explaining what to do next. At this point, guided by the visual, you need to push the button on the back. If you can think of a simpler way, I’d give Apple a call.
- stemlord 4y ago
  With an iphone maybe so. But open the lid with the airpods inside. She couldnt figure it out.
  - jen729w 4y ago
    Are you saying that she was pairing them with a non-Apple device? In which case, fair enough perhaps, but it feels a tad unfair to put the burden of universal discovery for all host devices on Apple. And is it really that un-discoverable? What would you do on any other Bluetooth device? You'd look for a button. What is there on the AirPods case? A button. I still say: if you have a simpler idea, let's hear it. Edit: and, I'm sure the AirPods come with a folded slip of paper in the box, as all Apple products do, explaining the very basics of how to get the thing working.

davidf18 4y ago

inasio 4y ago

I still remember the time I opened the box on a new Ipod, and there was no instruction booklet. The contrast with my previous device (a Sony minidisc player) was shocking.