Apple may have given off the impression that your iPhone 7 experience is incomplete without AirPods, but since they’ve taken the liberty of including a Lightning headset and an adapter (don’t get me wrong, I’m still not in the camp that removal of the headphone jack was a great idea) AirPods are simply an additional offering and nothing more.
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While Apple fans are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the iPhone 7, those who don’t own wireless Bluetooth headphones are slightly hesitant of purchasing Apple’s own AirPods due for release sometime in October.
Audio plays automatically when you’re wearing them, and pauses when you pop one out to talk to someone.
I have spent the last few days sending my loved one fireballs, heartbeats and other silly things. I’ve been slipping the case into my pocket or bag when I’m on the go, or just keeping it on my desk, giving it the odd charge when I’m at work. Although, the unit came with a wireless surprise, it also provided shock to many with the disappearance of the headphone jack. Apple has done the former exceptionally well. The setup involves little more than opening the case near your phone and tapping “Connect”. You also have to charge them, which just adds to the growing list of things that we would need to keep in mind to charge. Of course, you can’t charge your iPhone at the same time, not without spending an extra $39.99 to get the Belkin Lightning Audio + Charge RockStar adapter. Each is an independent item that you can place in your ear. That’s a nifty feature when you’re listening to music or a podcast but something or someone around you requires your immediate attention.
All in all, there was nothing wrong with the AirPods in the short demo I had.
The Spigen AirPods Strap is already available on Amazon in the US, priced at $10 (though no United Kingdom price yet exists) and essentially is just a rubber coated wire with a cup at each end for holding the base of the earbuds. Many have analyzed the move and its motivations, but what’s the real reason Apple did away with the classic input?
With a 3.5mm line-in on the Mazda’s dashboard I no longer needed to depend on an RF transmitter to broadcast the audio signal from my phone or portable music player so I could tune in via the vehicle radio (which produced mediocre sound quality). Wait… I thought AirPods whole appeal was being wireless? This elongated portion is where the headphone’s battery, antenna, and microphone are located.
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More affordable solutions to listen to music and charge your iPhone 7 at the same time is to use Apple’s $49 iPhone Lightning Dock. Instead I cobbled together a solution using a Lightning to 30-pin adaptor, connected to a 30-pin Y-cable which featured a USB plug for charging the iPhone from the cigarette lighter, as well as a 3.5mm line-out for connecting to the vehicle stereo.
