Wireless Earbuds Hit The Market In Anticipation Of iPhone 7
The iPhone 7 is looking to be released in September of 2015, and almost every source says that the headphone jack will be taken away. This has led to speculation that Apple is working on their own wireless earbuds. CNNMoney has the news.
“Apple has been granted a patent for new EarPod headphones, which could hint at what’s going to ship with the new iPhone 7. The new patent, granted on Tuesday, is for headphones that connect to an iPhone both wirelessly and with a wire. They can be used without being plugged in, but have a connector that lets you magnetically attach a cord to the earbuds and plug the other end into a jack.”
“Unlike other Bluetooth headsets, these $249 earbuds are completely wireless: They sync with each other and a phone, and… that’s it. The concept is one of those things I didn’t even know I needed, but after spending a week with the Earin buds, I’m almost ready to pick up my pitchfork and wish death upon the headphone cable.”
Reviewer Chris Velazco adds that even though the sound on Earin’s wireless earbuds is adequate, the battery life and, at times, poor Bluetooth connection make using Earin’s buds frustrating. However, CNET was more complimentary with Earin’s wireless buds.
“I admit, I didn’t think such a small pair of headphones could pack enough power for me to satisfyingly blast The Beatles, or whatever’s on my Spotify playlist of choice. I was wrong. I purposefully played a song with heavy bass and was surprised to hear rich, full sound,” claims author Xiomara Blanco, who was also impressed that the almond-shaped buds are hard to lose since they come with a small case that actually charges them.
Then, there are the Bragi Dash wireless earbuds, which have also garnered mixed reviews. The Verge wasn’t very impressed with Bragi’s buds.
“In some respects, the Dash feels like the coolest device I’ve ever used, like someone went forward a few years into the future and brought back these tiny earbuds. Despite some obvious drawbacks, wireless earbuds have a certain magic about them, and I’m still madly in love with the idea,” says author Sean O’Kane.
Before one thinks this is a good review, O’Kane adds that he spent a majority of his time frustrated with these wireless earbuds because they don’t deliver on the promise that earned funding from Kickstarter in the first place. iLounge‘s Guido Gabrielle wasn’t impressed either.
“Overall, living with the Dash was a mixed experience. When the Dash works, it’s brilliant and feels like the future. When it doesn’t work, it’s very frustrating. In addition to intermittent connectivity issues, we often found that taps and swipes did not register.”
Gabrielle added that for some reason, the Dash wireless earbuds sometimes didn’t recognize taps, but is optimistic that a future firmware update will solve the problem. It appears that the Bragi Dash and other wireless earbuds need a lot more than firmware updates to become marketable.
[Photo by Globe Newswire/AP Images]
