Apple Investigating Issue With AirPods Randomly Disconnecting During Calls (macrumors.com)

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Apple Investigating Issue With AirPods Randomly Disconnecting During Calls (macrumors.com)

Posted by BeauHD on Monday January 23, 2017 @12:05PM from the unable-to-connect dept.

According to MacRumors, Apple is investigating multiple reports from iPhone owners of AirPods randomly disconnecting and reconnecting during calls. While the issue doesn't appear to be widespread, it appears to be a big enough problem to attract Apple's attention. One of the main reasons why the AirPods were so late to the market was because Apple needed more time to ensure the earpieces had reliable connectivity. Specifically, they were delayed to ensure both earpieces receive audio at the same time. MacRumors reports: A MacRumors forum thread and a long thread on Apple's Support Communities website have been generated by AirPods users who are regularly experiencing Bluetooth connection dropouts during phone calls, despite the fact that the wireless earphones almost never lose their connection when used to listen to music or anything else. MacRumors forum member protobiont wrote: "I've had this happen on two phone calls today. I am talking and suddenly the audio switches to the phone, I hear the Airpod connect tones and the audio switches back. This will repeat itself a few times, which is quite distracting during a phone call." At present, the issue appears to be limited to iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus devices, with several users reporting no such problems after upgrading to an iPhone 7. MacRumors was also unable to replicate the problem on Apple's latest handset. Initial reports suggested the dropout issue only occurs if users also have an Apple Watch paired to their iPhone, but MacRumors was able to replicate the problem with a Fitbit Blaze, suggesting a more general conflict when other Bluetooth devices are also connected. Unpairing and then repairing the AirPods does not appear to solve the problem, neither does rebooting nor resetting the iPhone. Until Apple offers a solution, users are advised to use only one AirPod for conducting calls, as the dropouts only seem to occur when both earpieces are in use.

128 comments

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Over the time the problem goes away by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 12:09 · Score: 1

Most people will end up with a single airpod anyway.
1. Re:Over the time the problem goes away by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 12:56 · Score: 0
  
  What's next, stories of them exploding while in use?
2. Re:Over the time the problem goes away by TWX · 2017-01-23 14:00 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Like this?
  
  --
  Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
3. Re:Over the time the problem goes away by volodymyrbiryuk · 2017-01-24 04:17 · Score: 1
  
  This image would only apply for the next generation, the BrainPods.
  
  --
  sudo rm -r -f --no-preserve-root /
4. Re:Over the time the problem goes away by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-24 04:28 · Score: 0
  
  Same AC replying. That was funny as hell, a bit more than I expected, but still funny. Thanks.
5. Re:Over the time the problem goes away by TWX · 2017-01-25 10:25 · Score: 1
  
  I found a usage guide video for your version... https://youtu.be/3i42Smtbmeg?t...
  
  --
  Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
wire by fluffernutter · 2017-01-23 12:11 · Score: 5, Insightful

It would be nice if they could connect by a more reliable method such as a wire. Perhaps Apple could patent it.

--
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
1. Re:wire by zlives · 2017-01-23 12:43 · Score: 1
  
  that maybe too courageous for apple :)
  on the other hand blue tooth headsets have always been glitchy for me and other users i support. multiple brands plantronics, jabbra... what ever its just something i have learned to live with as the convenience factor for shedding the cable. so i am not surprised. according to TFA all you need to do is upgrade to the newest iPhone :)
2. Re:wire by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 13:28 · Score: 0
  
  I thought that Bluetooth headsets were glitchy at first but got better. But maybe not. Maybe I just stopped using that and having to do long phonecalls!
  It seems Apple is selling crapware again!
3. Re:wire by fluffernutter · 2017-01-23 13:46 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  I have a pair of headphones that I thought were pretty decent. Then I forgot an audio cable one day and went into bluetooth mode. Most of the nuance of the music disappeared. Gone were all the fine texture of the instruments. I honestly couldn't listen to it and switched to an audiobook. Maybe the new bluetooth is better but not currently economical compared to wires.
  
  --
  Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
4. Re:wire by sheramil · 2017-01-23 14:50 · Score: 2
  
  Lasers. BIG, SHINY, F-ck-off lasers. Lasers that look like they could skin an ox.
5. Re: wire by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 15:39 · Score: 1
  
  It all comes to power output. Wires feed power to drivers using a source which is capable of supplying much higher current over longer period.
  These airpods are a joke, the battery discharges lower currents and having an internal impedance it causes all sorts of distortion.
6. Re: wire by TheFakeTimCook · 2017-01-23 17:48 · Score: 1, Troll
  
  It all comes to power output. Wires feed power to drivers using a source which is capable of supplying much higher current over longer period.
  These airpods are a joke, the battery discharges lower currents and having an internal impedance it causes all sorts of distortion.
  You need to just stop writing about things you think you know about.
  
  You're just embarrassing yourself with that ignorant word-salad.
7. Re: wire by Mal-2 · 2017-01-23 21:41 · Score: 2
  
  But he's not wrong with his point. AirPods necessarily have tiny batteries, much smaller than the phone does. While their average current may be fine, they are going to "brown out" on peaks without something like a capacitor to back them up. This causes distortion very similar to that induced by a megaphone, which is highly undesirable for music unless your name is Tom Waits.
  
  --
  How is the Riemann zeta function like Trump rallies? Both have an endless number of trivial zeros.
8. Re:wire by Plumpaquatsch · 2017-01-23 21:50 · Score: 1
  
  Looks like Google already has a patent on screwing up wired headphones. Sorry.
  https://www.reddit.com/r/Nexus6P/comments/3vuwdx/headphone_jack_constantly_losing_connection/?st=iybc8j2o&sh=ee0e1b14
  Moneyquote:
  
  i would try this as well. i heard a lot of people having problems with music stopping because of this
  
  --
  Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
9. Re:wire by Plumpaquatsch · 2017-01-23 21:52 · Score: 1
  
  I have a pair of headphones that I thought were pretty decent. Then I forgot an audio cable one day and went into bluetooth mode. Most of the nuance of the music disappeared. Gone were all the fine texture of the instruments. I honestly couldn't listen to it and switched to an audiobook. Maybe the new bluetooth is better but not currently economical compared to wires.
  That's because Bluetooth doesn't use the tube-amplifier in your phone. Phoney.
  
  --
  Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
10. Re:wire by thegarbz · 2017-01-23 23:47 · Score: 1
  
  Bluetooth audio is fairly open in support for version and codecs. Maybe you should try a decent set of Bluetooth headphones and verify they connect with a sufficiently good codec before you discount a technology with offering any specifics.
11. Re:wire by fluffernutter · 2017-01-24 02:00 · Score: 1
  
  That's my point.. Too much trouble, easier to use a wire.
  
  --
  Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
12. Re:wire by thegarbz · 2017-01-24 02:53 · Score: 1
  
  Or just buy modern quality equipment.
13. Re:wire by fluffernutter · 2017-01-24 03:08 · Score: 1
  
  These were modern headphones. Plus why would I put good money into headphones that will work with my phone only, but not my stereo equipment. Why would I want the headphones to power the sound when I have stereo equipment?
  
  --
  Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
14. Re: wire by ilsaloving · 2017-01-24 06:56 · Score: 1
  
  While that may be true, wouldn't that only occur if you were listening to your music really loud?
  I agree with the GP that music over bluetooth is nowhere near as good as it is over wire, but it's for a different reason: Bluetooth itself. Bluetooth wasn't designed for high quality music playback. Hell, it was barely designed for music at all. The stereo audio profile is basically a profile add-on, with audio is sent using a codec (SBC) that doesn't hold a candle to newer ones, in part because it needs to keep the max thoroughput down. That's why Apple-curated devices provide an AAC codec, and for everyone else there's AptX, which are supposed to provide significantly better sound quality. The downside of course, is that you need to *explicitly* search for devices like these, and unless the device expressly says that it supports these codecs, your basically guaranteed that they're using the default SBC that is a mandatory part of the bluetooth standard.
  I started looking for bluetooth headphones that didn't suck, and ended up doing a whackton of research to understand what turns out to be a very systemic issue.
  For now I'm waiting on any further bluetooth purchases until I see how Bluetooth 5 pans out.(And since Apple went their own way with a custom bluetooth chip, it's anyone's guess whether they will support BT5 anytime soon.) I'm hoping that it will solve not just the quality issues (thanks to greater bandwidth), but the connectivity issues as well. Bluetooth is borderline useless in a big city where there's lots of surrounding EF interference.
  FYI, here's an ok article that summarizes bluetooth 5, in particular WRT audio: http://www.avhub.com.au/news/s...
  TL;DR: Bluetooth audio is crap compared to most other transmission methods, and BT5 may or may not help.
15. Re:wire by thegarbz · 2017-01-24 07:16 · Score: 1
  
  Plus why would I put good money into headphones that will work with my phone only, but not my stereo equipment.
  Why would you indeed. Every Bluetooth headset I've seen also comes with a cable, maybe with the exception of those shitty airpods.
16. Re: wire by TheFakeTimCook · 2017-01-24 08:05 · Score: 1
  
  But he's not wrong with his point. AirPods necessarily have tiny batteries, much smaller than the phone does. While their average current may be fine, they are going to "brown out" on peaks without something like a capacitor to back them up. This causes distortion very similar to that induced by a megaphone, which is highly undesirable for music unless your name is Tom Waits.
  ALL BT headsets have "tiny batteries". So, what's your point?
  
  How do you know that the AirPods don't have such a "smoothing" capacitor to handle "current-slugs"? At the voltages we're talking about, even a fairly high-value SMT capacitor is fairly small.
  
  I am very familiar with current-starvation effects in audio circuits, which usually show up first as Intermodulation Distortion figures going through the roof. IM distortion is VERY apparent to humans; MUCH more so than Harmonic Distortion, which can get into the TENS of percent before people start objecting. So, if there were problems with power-starvation, it certainly would have shown up in user or professional reviews.
  
  My question to you (and Mr. word-salad) is this: What users or reviewers have complained about such audio artifacts in listening to the AirPods?
17. Re: wire by TheFakeTimCook · 2017-01-24 08:10 · Score: 1
  
  .(And since Apple went their own way with a custom bluetooth chip, it's anyone's guess whether they will support BT5 anytime soon.)
  It is my guess that the W1 chip actually is designed to support BT5, and that Apple's "custom" BT protocol is based on the preliminary BT5 standard, and since Apple can upload new firmware into the W1 even after it is in-circuit, that now that the BT5 protocol is finally ratified, they will be updating the W1 chips to cover BT5 as well.
18. Re:wire by sconeu · 2017-01-24 09:35 · Score: 1
  
  But how would they attach the sharks?
  
  --
  General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
19. Re: wire by Mal-2 · 2017-01-24 17:27 · Score: 1
  
  No, not all Bluetooth headsets have tiny batteries. I had the kind with the wraparound strip in the back, and the battery was generously sized because it was in that strip on the back. In noisy environments, which is where they mostly got used, the sound quality was decent. I wish I could tell you what they were but I lent them out and the borrower managed to lose them within 48 hours.
  The main problem was that the strip was in back, and putting the phone in a front pocket meant constant disconnections. It was fine if I left the phone on a table, and even if I walked 15 or 20 feet away, but the moment I tucked it in a pocket and the signal had to go through me, it was dropout city. Since I was forced to leave the phone on my desk, I walked away from it many times and lost the signal.
  The problem here is that Apple is trying to solve a fashion problem with two separate earbuds, when a less fashionable but technically superior solution exists: tether one to the other, and hide more battery capacity there.
  
  --
  How is the Riemann zeta function like Trump rallies? Both have an endless number of trivial zeros.
20. Re: wire by Mal-2 · 2017-01-24 17:38 · Score: 1
  
  "Really loud" is relative. Unless they are noise-canceling, the only answer to not being able to hear your music over noise is to turn it up. Thus headphones that sounded fine in the store, and still sound fine when you get them home, can completely fall apart when you decide to walk to the grocery store or take them to the gym. This is easy to hear, but harder to measure because of the background noise obscuring the distortion of the signal.
  If you have a headset with a higher capacity battery, then (to a certain extent) turning it up should just shorten battery life. In practice, most of them probably allow themselves to be turned up to the point where they distort, because (1) distorted is better than not being able to make out the signal at all, and (2) low input levels won't actually distort, so the extra gain can be used to even out from one track to the next.
  
  --
  How is the Riemann zeta function like Trump rallies? Both have an endless number of trivial zeros.
21. Re: wire by TheFakeTimCook · 2017-01-25 05:27 · Score: 1
  
  The problem here is that Apple is trying to solve a fashion problem with two separate earbuds, when a less fashionable but technically superior solution exists: tether one to the other, and hide more battery capacity there.
  No, the problem is that you are advancing a strawman argument. NO ONE (but you, apparently) has complained about the AUDIO QUALITY (and particularly, DISTORTION) with the AirPods. So what's the deal?
  
  Whether Apple solved the issue with a supercapacitor, a new battery technology, or voodoo spells is irrelevant. They seem to have solved it, or avoided it. Sorry that you've had shitty luck with other BT headsets, really I am; but don't project your life-experiences onto a product you've obviously never tried, and likely have no intention of ever trying.
  
  EIGHTEEN pages of Apple Discussion Forum posts regarding the "Disconnection during phone call" issue, the vast majority of people also commented words to the effect of "I hope this gets fixed, because other than this, I love my AirPods."
  
  NOT ONE PERSON complained of the FAUX deficiency you are trying to DRUM UP.
  
  NOT ONE.
  
  So, KNOCK IT OFF!!!
22. Re: wire by ilsaloving · 2017-01-25 10:56 · Score: 1
  
  I am really really hoping that that is the case. That would be the logical thing to do. But after having been burned many times in the past by conjectures and promises (I still remember how pissed I was when Dell reneged on their promise to support a later version of Windows Mobile), that I'm not willing to assume anything beyond what's already marked on the tin.
  At any rate, we'll know soon enough. It's going to take few months for "official" BT5 products to hit the market anyway.
23. Re: wire by Mal-2 · 2017-01-25 18:54 · Score: 1
  
  I have seen complaints that the battery life is unsatisfactory, and there's a good chance a lot of those people are listening to them loud. Mind you this is not unique to AirPods. Even the headset I had, had an underwhelming battery life when cranked up full throttle. However, batteries have improved in the six years since I had those. At the same time, expectations have gone up. It's one thing to sell something that only lasts three hours at full throttle with a "three to six hours" claim, and another to say "up to N", N being whatever number Marketing wants it to be.
  At the same time, adding more surface area in the form of a connection between the two will solve the "losing one AirPod" problem, the synchronization problem (which they have dealt with but it still expends power on the phone side), possibly the reception problem, and allow for a battery that should outlast the charge in the phone. It would also solve, or at least greatly reduce, any distortion problems that might be caused by the power rail to the amplifier being unable to match the input curve of the signal.
  Happy now?
  
  --
  How is the Riemann zeta function like Trump rallies? Both have an endless number of trivial zeros.
24. Re: wire by TheFakeTimCook · 2017-01-25 20:16 · Score: 0
  
  I have seen complaints that the battery life is unsatisfactory, and there's a good chance a lot of those people are listening to them loud. Mind you this is not unique to AirPods. Even the headset I had, had an underwhelming battery life when cranked up full throttle. However, batteries have improved in the six years since I had those. At the same time, expectations have gone up. It's one thing to sell something that only lasts three hours at full throttle with a "three to six hours" claim, and another to say "up to N", N being whatever number Marketing wants it to be.
  At the same time, adding more surface area in the form of a connection between the two will solve the "losing one AirPod" problem, the synchronization problem (which they have dealt with but it still expends power on the phone side), possibly the reception problem, and allow for a battery that should outlast the charge in the phone. It would also solve, or at least greatly reduce, any distortion problems that might be caused by the power rail to the amplifier being unable to match the input curve of the signal.
  Happy now?
  Apple claims 5 hours on the AirPods. Pretty good considering the size of the unit. They are earbuds, Afterall. Then you can stick them in the case/charger (which holds enough charge itself to provide 24 hours of earbud charges) for a few minutes and get another few hours of run time. Most people have been happy with that arrangement, rather than some hinky MicroUSB charging abomination. And Apple has a reputation for not exaggerating battery life ratings. But of course someone will always be wanting more.
  
  You won't be outlasting the charge on an iPhone 7, which can play music for 40 hours, or the 7 Plus, which can play for 60.
  
  And you STILL advance the strawman argument regarding power-starvation, which exactly NOBODY gas complained about with the AirPods. Why? I am sorry that you have had bad experiences with shitbox BT headsets. These are not them.
25. Re: wire by juancn · 2017-01-26 12:03 · Score: 1
  
  More likely the phone transmitter is interfering with the bluetooth signal with an active call.
Clearly by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 12:14 · Score: 1, Funny

The people aren't holding the AirPods correctly.
1. Re:Clearly by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 14:50 · Score: 0
  
  Nope, I'll bet they had Wi-Fi turned on at the same time, aka: Too many things on 2.4GHz.
2. Re:Clearly by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 14:56 · Score: 0
  
  Wrong again, this sounds like the work of Russian hackers.
3. Re:Clearly by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 18:53 · Score: 0
  
  Or the Airpods were tested only with airheads, as the marketing believed that only those would buy this kind of things.
Given the price by 93+Escort+Wagon · 2017-01-23 12:16 · Score: 1

... not only should these not have connection problems, they should transcribe all conversations to a file for you.

--
#DeleteChrome
1. Re:Given the price by TheFakeTimCook · 2017-01-23 17:50 · Score: 1
  
  ... not only should these not have connection problems, they should transcribe all conversations to a file for you.
  Many, many BT headsets, e.g. Samsung's, are much more expensive.
2. Re:Given the price by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 18:54 · Score: 0
  
  and obviously of higher quality.
3. Re:Given the price by gl4ss · 2017-01-23 19:50 · Score: 1
  
  Many, many BT headsets, e.g. Samsung's, are much more expensive.
  thats not really it though is it? samsung has bt audio sets starting from 50 bucks and going to the 250 range, at which point you get pretty decent over the ear design already...
  apple on the other hand sells what is essentially a worse version of samsungs cheapest offering at triple the price.
  of course you would want them connected at least to each other..
  
  --
  world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
4. Re:Given the price by TheFakeTimCook · 2017-01-23 21:36 · Score: 1
  
  Many, many BT headsets, e.g. Samsung's, are much more expensive.
  thats not really it though is it? samsung has bt audio sets starting from 50 bucks and going to the 250 range, at which point you get pretty decent over the ear design already...
  apple on the other hand sells what is essentially a worse version of samsungs cheapest offering at triple the price.
  of course you would want them connected at least to each other..
  On what FACTS (as opossed to OPINION) do you base your "worse version..." Statement?
  
  So far, other than this call-drop glitch with certain phones, the vast majority of owners of the AirPods seem to enjoy them quite well, and they have gotten good to great reviews.
5. Re:Given the price by Plumpaquatsch · 2017-01-23 22:06 · Score: 1
  
  On what FACTS (as opossed to OPINION) do you base your "worse version..." Statement?
  
  He did extensive listening tests in his echo chamber.
  
  --
  Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
6. Re:Given the price by TheFakeTimCook · 2017-01-24 08:11 · Score: 1
  
  On what FACTS (as opossed to OPINION) do you base your "worse version..." Statement?
  He did extensive listening tests in his echo chamber.
  Exactly.
7. Re:Given the price by Coren22 · 2017-01-25 06:35 · Score: 1
  
  My Brainwavez were 1/3 the price, and work very well.
  https://smile.amazon.com/s/ref...
  Did you compare the Airpods to like devices, or to much better headphones?
  
  --
  APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
They shouldn't haven been released by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 12:24 · Score: 0

Given their delay, they were likely STILL not ready but management forced them to release anyway.
Many people would get fired over this...at least they would be if Jobs was still in charge.
1. Re:They shouldn't haven been released by sexconker · 2017-01-23 12:36 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  The only one who should be fired for this is the chief clown Tim Cook.
  He should be fired for the shitty sales of the iPhone 7 and MBP. as well. Shitty is a relative term here, FYI.
  Apple's latest generation of shit has been a failure in the eyes of the media, the industry, the public, and the shareholders. The current batch of iThings only serve as a reminder that Jobs is dead and what Apple without Jobs was. (For the record, I think Apple with Jobs was shit through and through, but I won't deny that people bought ever-increasing quantities of whatever turd he held on a stage..)
2. Re:They shouldn't haven been released by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 12:47 · Score: 0
  
  Confirmation bias hard at work.
3. Re:They shouldn't haven been released by TheFakeTimCook · 2017-01-23 14:53 · Score: 1
  
  The only one who should be fired for this is the chief clown Tim Cook. He should be fired for the shitty sales of the iPhone 7 and MBP. as well. Shitty is a relative term here, FYI.
  Apple's latest generation of shit has been a failure in the eyes of the media, the industry, the public, and the shareholders. The current batch of iThings only serve as a reminder that Jobs is dead and what Apple without Jobs was. (For the record, I think Apple with Jobs was shit through and through, but I won't deny that people bought ever-increasing quantities of whatever turd he held on a stage..)
  That's why Apple stock just posted (yet another) all-time high about a week ago.
4. Re: They shouldn't haven been released by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 15:48 · Score: 0
  
  What the fuck has stupid stock to do with the quality. Name a single stock company that prioritizes quality over stupid shareholder earnings.
  Tim cock is a spectacular fail of apple.
5. Re:They shouldn't haven been released by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 16:30 · Score: 0
  
  Apple's latest generation of shit has been a failure in the eyes of the media, the industry, the public, and the shareholders.
  The same goes for Microsoft. When businesses/companies/corporations appease minority groups, like African-Americans, businesses/companies/corporations die. Stop appeasing groups of idiots with socio-political agendas.
6. Re: They shouldn't haven been released by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 18:08 · Score: 0
  
  Pity the poor apple worshipper grasping at straws.
7. Re:They shouldn't haven been released by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 23:00 · Score: 0
  
  Momentum. But the bad decisions today indicate an Apple in decline.
8. Re:They shouldn't haven been released by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-24 02:15 · Score: 0
  
  Now you're being fucking delusional.
9. Re:They shouldn't haven been released by Plumpaquatsch · 2017-01-24 02:28 · Score: 1
  
  Momentum. But the bad decisions today indicate an Apple in decline.
  Sure. The stock price is based on momentum.
  
  --
  Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
10. Re:They shouldn't haven been released by Coren22 · 2017-01-25 06:45 · Score: 1
  
  Stock price is a meaningless measure. Wait until they post their earnings call, then we will see if they are doing well. Until then all you see is speculation and gambling based on possibilities and rumors.
  
  --
  APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
Obviously it's the consumer's fault by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 12:27 · Score: 0

They're holding them wrong.
1. Re:Obviously it's the consumer's fault by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 20:21 · Score: 0
  
  very lame. endlessly repeating same thing ever and ever?
2. Re:Obviously it's the consumer's fault by Coren22 · 2017-01-25 06:47 · Score: 1
  
  If the CEO of the company hadn't of accused the users of holding a poorly designed phone wrong, there would be nothing to make fun of. Unfortunately, Apple is notorious for blaming defects on the customer instead of the engineers/designers.
  No one had exposed external antennas, and no one had the same issue as the iPhone. Their fix was to give away bumpers, and modify how the signal strength was shown. Both of these "fixes" are just covering up an engineering issue.
  
  --
  APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
The apple goes moldy by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 12:34 · Score: 0

The slow death of apple is fascinating to watch.
1. Re: The apple goes moldy by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 13:05 · Score: 0
  
  full blown rot
Apple user suggest upgrading... by ELCouz · 2017-01-23 12:34 · Score: 1

with several users reporting no such problems after upgrading to an iPhone 7

There you go... social inducted device obsolescence.
1. Re:Apple user suggest upgrading... by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 12:39 · Score: 0
  
  Still better than the samsung 7 exploding all over you - android user detected!
2. Re:Apple user suggest upgrading... by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 13:16 · Score: 0
  
  Still better than the samsung 7 exploding all over you - android user detected!
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBPqksG9nbA
your ears are misaligned by kiviQr · 2017-01-23 12:40 · Score: 2

you are not holding it wrong ...your ears are misaligned!
well, at least apple got one part correct.. by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 12:42 · Score: 0

both channels randomly disconnect at the same time for both ears..
1. Re:well, at least apple got one part correct.. by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 13:06 · Score: 0
  
  This weekend on TWIT it was demonstrated how you have to put one back into it's case in order for the other to play in mono. "Norwegian Wood" was used as the lute is clearly on one channel in stereo mode. I've just started trying out a bluetooth headset that connects the two via a strap, not bad for older ears, and I don't worry about losing just one.
Obviously... by HockeyPuck · 2017-01-23 12:45 · Score: 4, Funny

This is an IRQ conflict... they should move the headset to COM1 and the cellular modem to COM3.
1. Re:Obviously... by JustAnotherOldGuy · 2017-01-23 13:06 · Score: 1
  
  This is an IRQ conflict... they should move the headset to COM1 and the cellular modem to COM3.
  It might also be that QEMM is causing a conflict.
  
  --
  Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
2. Re:Obviously... by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 13:29 · Score: 0
  
  I know you're just trying to be funny but... microcontrollers still have serial ports. Modems inside cellphones still often talk AT command sets. All of the things you're making fun of for the most part still exist but just aren't exposed to the user...
3. Re:Obviously... by Waffle+Iron · 2017-01-23 13:51 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Those were the good old days... when setting the all the IRQ, IO port, DMA and address jumpers for the the expansion cards in a decked-out PC was like solving a soduku puzzle.
4. Re: Obviously... by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 14:14 · Score: 0
  
  Mostly it was pretty easy, if you knew what you were doing. It didn't turn nasty until plug-and-play began emerging. It's very reassuring to strap hardware into a proper configuration with hardware jumpers.
5. Re:Obviously... by MachineShedFred · 2017-01-23 14:45 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  You've got a low enough ID so this is probably part of your joke, but there's lots of others around here that won't follow:
  COM1 and COM3 both shared IRQ4.
  
  --
  Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
6. Re: Obviously... by TheFakeTimCook · 2017-01-23 14:55 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Mostly it was pretty easy, if you knew what you were doing. It didn't turn nasty until plug-and-play began emerging. It's very reassuring to strap hardware into a proper configuration with hardware jumpers.
  Oh, how quickly they forget...
7. Re:Obviously... by TheFakeTimCook · 2017-01-23 14:56 · Score: 1
  
  You've got a low enough ID so this is probably part of your joke, but there's lots of others around here that won't follow:
  COM1 and COM3 both shared IRQ4.
  Stop it! I'm getting chills!!!
8. Re:Obviously... by JustAnotherOldGuy · 2017-01-23 17:41 · Score: 1
  
  Those were the good old days... when setting the all the IRQ, IO port, DMA and address jumpers for the the expansion cards in a decked-out PC was like solving a soduku puzzle.
  Good times.....I used a plug-in card called the Discovery Card to wrestle with IRQs. Best gadget ever back then...it had a bunch of LEDs that would light to help you determine what IRQ was in use for a given slot.
  I've still got it in a drawer but there's nothing with ISA slots still around that you could plug it into.
  
  --
  Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
9. Re:Obviously... by JustAnotherOldGuy · 2017-01-23 17:43 · Score: 2
  
  COM1 and COM3 both shared IRQ4.
  That triggered me into a hideous flashback. I must go lay down on my fainting couch now....
  
  --
  Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
10. Re:Obviously... by sconeu · 2017-01-23 18:06 · Score: 1
  
  And then messing with HIMEM.SYS and DEVICEHIGH in your config.sys to fit all your drivers above the 640K line.
  
  --
  General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
11. Re: Obviously... by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 18:58 · Score: 0
  
  It depended how much hardware one had. Usually one PC had only sound, video and network cards, so there were plenty of IRQs and IO ports to select from. Things got ugly only with older cards which did not have that many options to select and if one had multiple of them.
12. Re:Obviously... by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 22:38 · Score: 0
  
  Too bad it's probably some 3.3V crap
13. Re:Obviously... by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-24 02:34 · Score: 0
  
  Pot, meet kettle.
  Comments that talk about adding nothing add even less. Go fuck your mother. No, wait, I've already done that.
14. Re:Obviously... by Jaegs · 2017-01-24 03:59 · Score: 1
  
  Man, I had forgotten those days. Thanks for the reminder, I think.
15. Re:Obviously... by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-24 05:27 · Score: 0
  
  It's called an opportunity for fun, and he reached out to another low number. Do you have to butt in on their conversation?
  Or better yet, is the attention he got taking away from yours?
  Grow some humanity. We'll accept you when you are human until then you're just ostracizing yourself. Bye
16. Re: Obviously... by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-24 06:25 · Score: 0
  
  Oh, how quickly they forget...
  They must not have reserved enough ram.
17. Re:Obviously... by ilsaloving · 2017-01-24 07:04 · Score: 1
  
  While you got modded +5 Funny and rightly so, I have to wonder how many people actually get this joke? Very few people even know what com ports and modems are, anymore.
18. Re:Obviously... by Coren22 · 2017-01-25 06:54 · Score: 1
  
  The think it is the thing they connect to the cable line to get on the internet.
  
  --
  APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
19. Re:Obviously... by loccohombre · 2017-01-27 02:36 · Score: 1
  
  Get of my lawn
  
  --
  "It's expensive, stupid, last only seconds - but makes your mouth hurt for days - it's BEE IN A BALLOON" - Kibo 3/1/95
paying customers, beta testing by bmimatt · 2017-01-23 12:54 · Score: 2

Just like Microsoft did in the 90's and 00's (and possibly still does now), Apple now uses paying customers to do the last round of testing for them. After they purchase the iGadgets. The recent MBP/iPhone port removal shenanigans will sure keep me riding my hardware to their last breath.
1. Re:paying customers, beta testing by TheFakeTimCook · 2017-01-23 15:07 · Score: 1
  
  Just like Microsoft did in the 90's and 00's (and possibly still does now), Apple now uses paying customers to do the last round of testing for them. After they purchase the iGadgets. The recent MBP/iPhone port removal shenanigans will sure keep me riding my hardware to their last breath.
  It couldn't just be a minor, unforeseen compatibility issue between a non W1-equipped phone and the W1-equipped AirPods. No, if course not.
  
  Keep in mind that the problem is apparently NEVER exhibited when the W1-equipped AirPods are used with the W1-equipped iPhone 7. So, perhaps it is the PHONE that is having the issue (hopefully fixable in software), rather than in the AirPods themselves.
2. Re:paying customers, beta testing by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 18:12 · Score: 0
  
  Blah blah blah. apples bluetooth support has always been abysmal.
3. Re:paying customers, beta testing by LynnwoodRooster · 2017-01-23 20:03 · Score: 1
  
  Looking at a teardown of an iPhone 7, we see the WiFi/Bluetooth chip is a Murata device, not a W1. The W1 is in the airpods, not the iPhone.
  
  --
  Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
4. Re:paying customers, beta testing by AmiMoJo · 2017-01-23 21:40 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  My guess would be that it drops on calls because the modem is active, pumping out a lot of RF energy. When signal is marginal the modem cranks up to the highest transmit power. It's on a different frequency to Bluetooth, but it still affects it, both from short range RF interference and noise on the power supply rails.
  Probably requires both poor signal and some specific cellular bands in the 2GHz region near to Bluetooth's 2.4GHz. Some LTE stuff is around 2200MHz.
  Of course this was bound to happen. Everyone knows that 2.4GHz is useless in some places due to the massive number of interfering devices. If you are in a Faraday cage like say a train or airplane with a bunch of other people who are also trying to use 2.4GHz because no-one's phone has a headphone socket any more and there is no cell signal so wifi is getting hammered... Well, it's not going to work very reliably, even if it does have an Apple logo on it.
  
  --
  const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
  SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
5. Re:paying customers, beta testing by TheFakeTimCook · 2017-01-23 21:48 · Score: 1
  
  Looking at a teardown of an iPhone 7, we see the WiFi/Bluetooth chip is a Murata device, not a W1. The W1 is in the airpods, not the iPhone.
  Hmmm. That's interesting. I thought the iP7's had the W1, too.
  
  And what's a damn TRANSFORMER company doing making BT Chips?!? ;-)
  
  Well, then, that's actually even better news. That means that the issue with the call-drop is much more likely to NOT be related to a W1 to non-W1 incompatibility, as I first worried it was.
6. Re:paying customers, beta testing by LynnwoodRooster · 2017-01-24 08:19 · Score: 1
  
  So, once again we see you taking extreme defense of Apple as your default position - and doing so without an ounce of knowledge of the facts. You can apologize to bmimatt for going off on him. His statement is pretty much 100% accurate; how do you roll out a product that is not compatible with a currently shipping product (being that you can still buy, brand new at the Apple store, iPhone 6s units)? It's called using your users for beta testers. You have four phones (iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, 7, 7 Plus) and one pair of BT buds (airpods). It's not like it's millions of combinations...
  
  --
  Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
7. Re:paying customers, beta testing by TheFakeTimCook · 2017-01-24 12:26 · Score: 1
  
  So, once again we see you taking extreme defense of Apple as your default position - and doing so without an ounce of knowledge of the facts. You can apologize to bmimatt for going off on him. His statement is pretty much 100% accurate; how do you roll out a product that is not compatible with a currently shipping product (being that you can still buy, brand new at the Apple store, iPhone 6s units)? It's called using your users for beta testers. You have four phones (iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, 7, 7 Plus) and one pair of BT buds (airpods). It's not like it's millions of combinations...
  And isn't the percentage of failure quite small? So, is it small enough so that it simply didn't happen during Apple's initial testing? Especially since by FAR the greatest number of complaints are definitely coming from those who have the COMBINATION of iP6 or 6s AND an Apple Watch. In fact, there are a number of complainants that claim that their call-drop issues STOP if they completely un-pair their Apple Watch with their iPhone. Suggesting that there may be a race-condition between the phone and the watch, trying to determine which one "owns" the audio stream with the AirPods, or other issue with that COMBINATION of products.
  
  Who knows why using only one AirPod seems to also stop the issue, but that seems to work, too. It is also interesting to note that even people using AirPods with non-Apple phones are NOT having the problem; further pointing to the fact that it is a COMBINATION of factors that are needed for the failure rate to rise above the statistical noise level.
  
  So, with THREE products (and long calls) having to be present to make this failure appear with any certainty, NOW how many combinations does Apple have to test?
  
  Also, Your claim that I rush to Apple's defense is rendered moot by the fact that you rush to ascribe incompetence or worse every single time the subject is Apple.
8. Re:paying customers, beta testing by LynnwoodRooster · 2017-01-24 14:08 · Score: 1
  
  Yep, Apple doesn't sufficiently test an EXTREMELY limited number of combinations prior to releasing the product. Typically that is considered "beta testing by user". Which is what appears to be here. And you still haven't said anything back to bmimatt about your erroneous statements made on false data.
  
  --
  Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
9. Re:paying customers, beta testing by TheFakeTimCook · 2017-01-25 05:14 · Score: 1
  
  Yep, Apple doesn't sufficiently test an EXTREMELY limited number of combinations prior to releasing the product. Typically that is considered "beta testing by user". Which is what appears to be here. And you still haven't said anything back to bmimatt about your erroneous statements made on false data.
  Ya know, I have finally come to the conclusion that it simply doesn't matter WHAT I say, you will continue to move the goalposts and minimize and distort my explanation to suit your Hater mindset.
  
  Attempt at Communication Terminated.
commentsubject: by Falos · 2017-01-23 12:56 · Score: 2

Waiting for the traditional batch of "mine works fine".
1. Re:commentsubject: by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 13:03 · Score: 0
  
  Mine works fine......you happy now?.... ;)
User Error by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 13:48 · Score: 0

The head they tried to use the device with was too dense.
As usual from Apple, by b783719 · 2017-01-23 13:52 · Score: 1

You're using your ears wrong.
Had This Happen with iPhone 7Plus and Beats Solo 3 by Striikerr · 2017-01-23 13:56 · Score: 1

I have had this happen when I was using the new Beats Solo3. I was on a call with them and then the audio drop to my iPhone and I heard the connect sound from the earphones. I took them off and completed the call on the phone. I suspect this will become a larger issue as time progresses unless Apple resolves the underlying issue.
wireless isn't a replacement by globaljustin · 2017-01-23 14:25 · Score: 3, Insightful

Apple is so far up it's ass on this whole "it's all wireless in the future and the future is now" bullshit...
Bluetooth is great, but battery life and size are often fatally problematic to the notion of "just get bluetooth headphones" is some kind of universal solution rendering headphones with cords (btw the headphone jack is also a *universally compatible data port*) obsolete and somehow justifying Apple's design strategy and marketing on these products.
Let me address this now, people will definitely comment, "But I have used bluetooth headphones for years and the battery life and sound quality are sufficient"...that's great, but it's not evidence that proves this is a good design decision.
Bluetooth headphones are caught between wanting to be as small as possible, have longer battery life, and not teathering them for convenience somehow (b/c then might as well use a cord!). It's what happens when you let marketing drive design, an obtuse impass where no solution is right. Wireless headphones with 8 hours of battery life is not enough for many, many users. For many various reasons. It really is noteworthy that the smaller they get the more they would benefit from cords, which are the whole thing they attempt to avoid.
We are far, far away from wireless headphones being a de facto replacement for wired headphones such that we can just discard the headphone port.

--
Thank you Dave Raggett
1. Re:wireless isn't a replacement by brantondaveperson · 2017-01-23 15:26 · Score: 1
  
  (btw the headphone jack is also a *universally compatible data port*)
  
  This isn't true. It's far from universally compatible, with different implementations of squeezing things like remote control functionality into it, for instance.
2. Re:wireless isn't a replacement by AmiMoJo · 2017-01-24 01:11 · Score: 1
  
  The sensible thing would have been to release the earpods along side a phone with headphone socket, and then if people were happy with them a year or two later get rid of the socket. But no, they had to ram those damn things up the customer's arse, to ensure good sales of their overpriced and somewhat defective earbuds.
  
  --
  const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
  SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
3. Re:wireless isn't a replacement by b0bby · 2017-01-24 03:21 · Score: 1
  
  Bluetooth is great
  I disagree. I often have problems with bluetooth devices. One JBL speaker I have works fine unless I start moving my phone around, the the audio gets funky. I just got a hands free kit for my car, at first it seemed to work fine but then the next time I used it the audio would judder every 20 seconds or so. And on and on. I really like it when it works, but it just doesn't work so much of the time.
4. Re:wireless isn't a replacement by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-24 03:47 · Score: 0
  
  battery life and size are often fatally problematic to the notion of "just get bluetooth headphones"
  
  What? AirPods are as small as they can get without causing ergonomic problems, and their battery life is fine.
  
  people will definitely comment, "But I have used bluetooth headphones for years and the battery life and sound quality are sufficient"...that's great, but it's not evidence that proves this is a good design decision.
  
  Well if it meets the users' needs, then it's certainly evidence that it's not a bad decision.
  
  Bluetooth headphones are caught between wanting to be as small as possible, have longer battery life, and not teathering them for convenience somehow
  
  You don't seem to understand the decision decisions at play here at all. Nobody wants to make them as small as possible. People want them small enough, but going smaller than that does nobody any good. Nobody wants to tether them. If they wanted a tether, they'd design wired earphones. And that just leaves battery life, which is fine.
  
  Wireless headphones with 8 hours of battery life is not enough for many, many users.
  
  Define "many, many", because I think you're really overstating your case there. Is 24 hours (not 8) too short for some users? Undoubtedly. Are they a large enough segment of the market to be relevant? I'd be very surprised if they were. A product doesn't have to appeal to 100% of people to be a success, but you seem to think that unless AirPods cater to this niche, they must be a dismal failure. That's not how commerce works.
5. Re:wireless isn't a replacement by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-24 04:44 · Score: 0
  
  You appear to have fallen for the point the GP was making.
  A headphone port is for getting sound to you. Not for controlling the device.
6. Re:wireless isn't a replacement by globaljustin · 2017-01-24 06:48 · Score: 1
  
  Well if it meets the users' needs, then it's certainly evidence that it's not a bad decision.
  see, the problem here is the inability to think beyond one use case
  call it "sociopathic design"
  it may meet *a particular user's needs* but that doesn't mean it's sufficient or balances out the negatives
  leave the headphone port and guess what? people can use bluetooth just as without...
  
  --
  Thank you Dave Raggett
7. Re:wireless isn't a replacement by globaljustin · 2017-01-24 06:50 · Score: 1
  
  I disagree. I often have problems with bluetooth devices
  this is true...in my usage bluetooth degrades quality and has other problems similar to what you mention
  I mostly skipped over bluetooth's problems because I didn't want to get bogged down with people missing my main point and just retorting in defense of *their* chosen bluetooth solution, which is "just fine"
  
  --
  Thank you Dave Raggett
8. Re:wireless isn't a replacement by globaljustin · 2017-01-24 06:55 · Score: 1
  
  Accessories like a Square credit card reader are absolutely universally compatible.
  The 4 pole headphone is universally compatible across all devices, unless device makers design their accessory specifically to be proprietary.
  Remote functionality on smartphone headphones is definitely possible and several headphones have 3 function control buttons that work with apple or android.
  
  --
  Thank you Dave Raggett
9. Re:wireless isn't a replacement by brantondaveperson · 2017-01-24 13:01 · Score: 1
  
  Right, so it's compatible until it isn't. The TRRS connector has many different implementations. Sometimes there's video in there. Sometimes the ground is in different places. Sometimes the microphone is in a different spot. There any many different ways of making a remote work. I've never seen a three button remote work with Android, but I've no reason to not believe you. However, the one I have doesn't work with the Android devices that I have.
  The thing is that the 3.5mm headphone connector is basically a bit crap. Wireless audio is what people use at home for connecting to their stereo (I certainly do, and it's far, far more convenient), and while I don't personally use wireless headphones myself (too cheap to buy them / I'd lose them / forget to charge them / they're all ugy / etc), I see plenty of people that do.
10. Re:wireless isn't a replacement by Plumpaquatsch · 2017-01-25 01:38 · Score: 1
  
  The sensible thing would have been to release the earpods along side a phone with headphone socket, and then if people were happy with them a year or two later get rid of the socket. But no, they had to ram those damn things up the customer's arse, to ensure good sales of their overpriced and somewhat defective earbuds.
  Sorry that your dick falls off if you have to use the adapter. Most people don't have that problem however, so it's not a fucking problem for them.
  
  --
  Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
11. Re:wireless isn't a replacement by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-25 17:01 · Score: 0
  
  see, the problem here is the inability to think beyond one use case
  
  AirPods are clearly designed for a multitude of use cases. You're just pissy because they don't fit your use case. And that's fine. No product fits every use case. But that isn't a fatal flaw in the product, it just means that you should use a different product.
  
  it may meet *a particular user's needs* but that doesn't mean it's sufficient or balances out the negatives
  
  Where "a particular user" in this case is "typical iPhone users, of which there are millions", then yes, it's sufficient and balances out the negatives.
  Honestly, when your reaction to a product not meeting your needs is to call it sociopathic, I really think you need to take a long hard look in the mirror.
12. Re:wireless isn't a replacement by globaljustin · 2017-01-25 20:08 · Score: 1
  
  Right, so it's compatible until it isn't.
  
  Indeed...as is everything. This statement is a tautology.
  
  Sometimes there's video in there. Sometimes the ground is in different places. Sometimes the microphone is in a different spot. There any many different ways of making a remote work.
  Just because this may be true doesn't really mean anything. It's a benefit that it is so versatile, first of all. The ports worked. Square Card readers work for Apple or Android. Most after market headphones work for both.
  
  Wireless audio is what people use at home for connecting to their stereo (I certainly do, and it's far, far more convenient), and while I don't personally use wireless headphones myself (too cheap to buy them / I'd lose them / forget to charge them / they're all ugy / etc), I see plenty of people that do.
  I tried to address this in my OP...designing for the user...
  
  --
  Thank you Dave Raggett
All The Kings Horses And All The Kings Men by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 14:25 · Score: 0

Can't Put Timmy Together Again.
To get a "left channel" and "right channel" at the "same" time Apple needs phasing in the frequency domain and a DSP (digital signal processor) in both Airpods and a coordinator DSP (communicating with the left and right Airpod DSP) in the iPhone/Watch or what ever else these things are "supposed" to be paired with: i.e. think GPS/GNSS. Not gonna happen.
Cheap solution is to bring back the tether!
Ha ha ha
A simple answer by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 14:58 · Score: 0

I own a pair of Rowkin stereo Bluetooth ear buds that are just big enough to fit in the ear. They're tiny. Before that, I had a pair of cheap (marketed under different names) Bluetooth stereo ear buds. The cheap pair and the more expensive Rowkin have the same problem that these units have. The smaller Rowkin units are worse about it actually. The issue is interference from wifi. The more congested the an area is with 2.4Ghz the worse it is. I've gone walking with them and either channel or both will get knocked out while passing windows in front of businesses or homes close to the curb. I also experience problems in the house. It's not rocket science but I went ahead and confirmed it using wireless Lan tools and it lines up. Take them somewhere with little to no interference and they work like a dream. Either pair. If you do a sight survey and see a list of routers a mile long, then forget it. It's an available spectrum issue. Any "true wireless" stereo Bluetooth devices, or even wired left to right channel Bluetooth devices will be effected by this. The wired left to right channel Bluetooth headsets are effected a little less since they don't need to transmit to the other over wireless.
limited to iPhone 6s, not iphone 7 by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 15:33 · Score: 0

So, it is working as designed to force users to buy a new phone!
Chin up, Tim! by jenningsthecat · 2017-01-23 16:05 · Score: 1

I'm sure that just a dash of your famous 'courage' will magically make Bluetooth every bit as reliable as a piece of wire! It might have been nice, though, if you had instead demonstrated the courage to NOT favour fashion over function. But I guess indulging your vanity, while making your customers pay more for less standard and less reliable gear, was the more courageous choice. You old lionheart, you!

--
'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.
Re:Had This Happen with iPhone 7Plus and Beats Sol by Trogre · 2017-01-23 17:32 · Score: 1

The underlying issue needs to be sacked by the board of directors, but Apple is too courageous for that.

--
"Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
Wireless sucks by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-23 21:54 · Score: 0

It's amazing that we embrace wireless simple on the annoyance of wires? When in fact nothing is more reliable than a wired connection. I have had nothing but trouble with wireless connections with any device from Bluetooth in my vehicles, wireless mice and keyboards, and Bluetooth speakers. My question with these Air Pods has been two fold. How reliable will they be, and what happens when the batteries won't hold a long enough charge? Do we continue to fill landfill's up with old broken Air Pods because they are too delicate to last more than a year or so? Sorry, I am not buying that wireless is any savior to what we need.
1. Re:Wireless sucks by Plumpaquatsch · 2017-01-23 22:25 · Score: 1
  
  It's amazing that we embrace wireless simple on the annoyance of wires? When in fact nothing is more reliable than a wired connection. I have had nothing but trouble with wireless connections
  Well, my headphones never have been torn from my head because my wireless got caught in something. Nor do I have to untangle my wireless every time I want to use it - or carefully coil it up after use.
  
  --
  Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
So failure means a $600B market cap? by Brannon · 2017-01-24 02:32 · Score: 1

I think a lot of companies would love to fail that well.
This actually happens on my 6S Plus... by x_t0ken_407 · 2017-01-24 04:47 · Score: 1

...with my bluetooth connection in my car, and also at various times when I connect my Beats Pill. So I'd guess this has to do with bluetooth connectivity in general, and not specifically the AirPods. Fuck me, right?
intentional by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-24 15:51 · Score: 0

"At present, the issue appears to be limited to iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus devices, with several users reporting no such problems after upgrading to an iPhone 7. "
Well played, Apple. Well played.
Upgrade solution by Anonymous Coward · 2017-01-25 03:19 · Score: 0

Upgrade to a phone with a jack in it.
Use only one at a time? by ai4px · 2017-01-25 07:58 · Score: 1

Use only one airpod at a time? What, am I using it wrong? Or holding it in my ear wrong???