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What happens when the battery no longer holds a charge? Are they able to replace them or do you have to toss them in the trash? I’ve been avoiding these becaus

by s__s 4y ago

What happens when the battery no longer holds a charge? Are they able to replace them or do you have to toss them in the trash? I’ve been avoiding these because they seem like wasteful fast fashion. I imagine having to throw them out in ~2-3 years, where as my over ear Beyers will likely last the rest of my life.

vrutberg 4y ago
I contacted Apple about this issue with my 1st gen AirPods (non-pro) in mind. They were basically unusable since the batteries would only hold a charge lasting a few minutes. I was offered to send them in for a battery replacement IIRC, but that would’ve set me back as much as the cost of a new pair, so I ended up just buying a new pair instead. I agree, it does feel quite wasteful.
oreilles 4y ago
Airpods Pro battery can be replaced by Apple for $49: https://support.apple.com/airpods/repair https://support.apple.com/airpods/repair
- Wingman4l7 4y ago
  As I've said before, it's very highly likely they are not actually repairing the unit by replacing the battery -- IMO that's false advertising to make them look "green". The plastic halves of the earbud casings are ultrasonically sealed together; you have to break them apart to get at the guts (and IIRC the battery is also soldered in). Just look up the iFixit teardown; they're completely unrepairable. My bet is, they are just swapping them out with refurbs or new units and writing off the loss against their AppleCare earnings.
  - CharlesW 4y ago
    > As I've said before, it's very highly likely they are not actually repairing the unit by replacing the battery -- IMO that's false advertising to make them look "green". I'm sure you're right about the first bit, and that calling it "battery replacement" is a sin of omission and/or over-simplification. As an engineer you're offended, but for average consumers, the result is what matters. It's a stretch to call it greenwashing, though. Apple has supported AirPods recycling since its introduction. In the case of AirPods specifically, Apple pays recyclers for the manual labor required to recover materials, even though it significantly exceeds the value of the materials being recovered.
    - pessimizer 4y ago
      > It's a stretch to call it greenwashing, though. It's not a stretch to call it greenwashing when a replacement is marketed as a repair, no matter what else they do. Especially since a full replacement for battery drain inevitably leads into their recycling process - if they think that their recycling process is even better than replacing the battery, why lie? > Apple pays recyclers for the manual labor required to recover materials, even though it significantly exceeds the value of the materials being recovered. The criterion for recycling isn't whether it's profitable or not. Why would you get any recognition for profitably recycling?
      - Joeri 4y ago
        It all depends on what requires more energy: breaking apart the airpods to replace the battery, or recycling and delivering a new pair. If the factory line is efficient enough it may be greener to replace instead of repair. Of course it can be argued that if apple had designed them for easy battery replacement repair would be so easy as to always be greener.
Wingman4l7 4y ago
The plastic halves of the earbud casings are ultrasonically sealed together; you have to break them apart to get at the guts (and IIRC the battery is also soldered in). Just look up the iFixit teardown; they're completely unrepairable. Their lifespan is, at best, the lifespan of the battery (in terms of useful recharge cycles). This is the dirty secret of the vast majority of wireless earbuds on the market, regardless of their cost.
Joeri 4y ago
At 5.3 g per airpod and 60 million pairs sold per year that is 636 metric ton of trashed airpods per year.
- samatman 4y ago
  At one hour of enjoyment a day (low estimate) that's 21 billion, 9 hundred million hours of joy. Or roughly 34 million hours of fun per metric ton. If one metric ton's worth of AirPod fun were to be had, ending right now, the fun would have started in 1858 BC. I'd say it's worth it.

by s__s 4y ago

vrutberg 4y ago

I contacted Apple about this issue with my 1st gen AirPods (non-pro) in mind. They were basically unusable since the batteries would only hold a charge lasting a few minutes. I was offered to send them in for a battery replacement IIRC, but that would’ve set me back as much as the cost of a new pair, so I ended up just buying a new pair instead. I agree, it does feel quite wasteful.

oreilles 4y ago

Airpods Pro battery can be replaced by Apple for $49: https://support.apple.com/airpods/repair https://support.apple.com/airpods/repair

Wingman4l7 4y ago
As I've said before, it's very highly likely they are not actually repairing the unit by replacing the battery -- IMO that's false advertising to make them look "green". The plastic halves of the earbud casings are ultrasonically sealed together; you have to break them apart to get at the guts (and IIRC the battery is also soldered in). Just look up the iFixit teardown; they're completely unrepairable. My bet is, they are just swapping them out with refurbs or new units and writing off the loss against their AppleCare earnings.
- CharlesW 4y ago
  > As I've said before, it's very highly likely they are not actually repairing the unit by replacing the battery -- IMO that's false advertising to make them look "green". I'm sure you're right about the first bit, and that calling it "battery replacement" is a sin of omission and/or over-simplification. As an engineer you're offended, but for average consumers, the result is what matters. It's a stretch to call it greenwashing, though. Apple has supported AirPods recycling since its introduction. In the case of AirPods specifically, Apple pays recyclers for the manual labor required to recover materials, even though it significantly exceeds the value of the materials being recovered.
  - pessimizer 4y ago
    > It's a stretch to call it greenwashing, though. It's not a stretch to call it greenwashing when a replacement is marketed as a repair, no matter what else they do. Especially since a full replacement for battery drain inevitably leads into their recycling process - if they think that their recycling process is even better than replacing the battery, why lie? > Apple pays recyclers for the manual labor required to recover materials, even though it significantly exceeds the value of the materials being recovered. The criterion for recycling isn't whether it's profitable or not. Why would you get any recognition for profitably recycling?
    - Joeri 4y ago
      It all depends on what requires more energy: breaking apart the airpods to replace the battery, or recycling and delivering a new pair. If the factory line is efficient enough it may be greener to replace instead of repair. Of course it can be argued that if apple had designed them for easy battery replacement repair would be so easy as to always be greener.

Wingman4l7 4y ago

The plastic halves of the earbud casings are ultrasonically sealed together; you have to break them apart to get at the guts (and IIRC the battery is also soldered in). Just look up the iFixit teardown; they're completely unrepairable. Their lifespan is, at best, the lifespan of the battery (in terms of useful recharge cycles). This is the dirty secret of the vast majority of wireless earbuds on the market, regardless of their cost.

Joeri 4y ago

At 5.3 g per airpod and 60 million pairs sold per year that is 636 metric ton of trashed airpods per year.

samatman 4y ago
At one hour of enjoyment a day (low estimate) that's 21 billion, 9 hundred million hours of joy. Or roughly 34 million hours of fun per metric ton. If one metric ton's worth of AirPod fun were to be had, ending right now, the fun would have started in 1858 BC. I'd say it's worth it.