Apple EarPods

It depends on how you treat them. Some people burn through them like nothing. I have some 20 year old earpods still.

[...] Got a pair of Apple earpods - works for two years without issues for a fraction of the price. [...]

i've had the same pair of apple earpods kicking around since 2013, and they still work. it's crazy how well-made they are the mic sounds decent too (though my pair doesn't have one)

I got a pair of old Apple earpods from 2013 when I got my iPhone 5 back then - they still work like a charm. €90 sounds like a ripoff for that quality

If it's for a phone, nab a pair of USB C headphones from somewhere. I bought a pair for my S21 four years ago, and they sound just as nice as my old Apple Earpods that were Lightning. I will die on the hill of aux or wired headphones over Bluetooth anything.

I like my EarPods, except that the wires keep tangling up. T for that I want to try those zipper hacks They have a good mic and fit properly. [...]

Nice write-up - although I thought you've built your own HARDWARE audio player first. [...] Nobody seems to be happy, everybody seems to fail to build something that fits at least 80% of the requirements most people have. [...] criteria is a bit awkward in days of bluetooth and wireless devices: Working cable headphone remote controls like Apple devices had for more than 10 years now - especially useful for audio books. Years ago I tried to write a cross platform audio player[1] app with C and Flutter inspired by iPod Nano 7g, but it always failed for the same reason: I could not get the headset controls working properly. I've also spent some days to submit a PR on audiobookshelf-app[2], but it didn't get merged, although it worked pretty good on my device. Nowadays I use a combination of my old iPod Nano 7g for music and audiobooks on the go and my Android GrapheneOS Phone as spare device for "streaming" something I don't have with me using Navidrome[3] and Substreamer[4] / DSub[5] for music and audiobookshelf-app[6] and VLC Media Player[7] for audiobooks (the offline support for audiobookshelf regularly breaks on my device) - most of these are available on fdroid or even official app stores. Btw, if you ever wondered, why Apple EarPods do not support Volume Control on Android devices and vice versa, see this link[8] - it's definitely worth a read 1: 2: 3: 4: 5: 6: 7: 8:

[...] They've kept my earpods and airpods in even while running and dancing. [...]

I don’t have airpods but I still use earpods for video conferencing. Honestly they fit and sound better (louder) when I have right and left switched.

[...] Almost every time I'm there I manage to chat to someone briefly, and 50% of them have earpods in. [...] My starter is usually a quick question with a "thank you so much, I'm new here" and if they reach for earpods to put back as they say you welcome, perfect you don't keep going. [...] So headphones/earpods can be a barrier but for me it's a useful barrier and a clear signal, which helps both parties.

The AirPods Pro are the best earpods I've ever had for everyday use, and I've had a lot. I like some of the old beats headphones, but I also haven't had to replace the ones I bought 5 or 10 years ago. The Sony WH-whatever I have are probably my favorite and most comfortable.

$20 apple EarPods letttsss goooo. I use mine daily. If I lose them or break them, who cares??

I very much appreciate it when people use wired headphones with a decent mic for calls. Speech clarity is just so much better even with Earpods compared to tws earplugs.

[...] I use earpods[1], I started using them back when they came with a phone, I'm happy that it's still possible to buy replacements. I like having a reliable wired connection that works and disconnects predictably. [...] My laptop model no longer has a webcam cover or a physical network switch; connecting and disconnecting the trrs[2] cable reminds me of these. [...] Every now and then they take a bit longer to connect or the volume changes unpredictably, or they need to be charged, etc - when wired headphones just work. [...]

I still use AirPods for listening but if I’m ever taking a call, I always use EarPods (USB-C). The microphone quality is multiple times better and that’s important to me. [...] It just seems unprofessional now because of how bad it sounds.

But you have wired earpods, both lightning and usb-3. I cannot be happier with those for my iphone and ipad, resp.

I have two wireless sony headphones for handling the battery issue. [...] Mind you, I was travelling and hence didn't follow the usual charging cadence I follow. I charged my wireless headphone for 5 mins and took the call and it went out of juice mid way through the call. [...] Thanks to this article, I just ordered a Apple Earpods USB-C 5 mins ago in Blinkit. [...] Edit after 4 mins: Earpods Delivered!

Wired headphones do still exist. :-) I often use a pair of cheap USB C Apple earpods with my Google Pixel.

I've had no trouble using corded headphones with my iphones (either via an adapter or e.g. the $20 usb-c earpods). [...]

I used to hate Airpods in videochats since they made the person wearing them sound bad because of dropouts, had heinous latency, and frequently disconnected causing meeting interruptions. But people think they're "better" than [wired] Earpods, which have none of those problems. /me shakes fist at cloud

[...] Still willing to give them a try, I heard the apple earpods pro are good at filtering out voices from a noise environment.

[...] EarPods and AirPods hang off the ears by protrusions on ears called tragus and antitragus, and the triangular cavity behind it, but that part can be just wide open hemisphere for some people. [...] Supposedly they offer SoTA performances in many domains, so it's kind of sad that I don't get to buy them myself or recommend to anyone unless they change it back to more commonly used shapes.

[...] (Personally, I have earpods but don't like them. [...]

[...] Of course the vision behind removing the 3,5mm port was of a wireless future (and after untangling my Earpods for the 100th time I agree). There was a simple dongle sold and you can still buy Earpods with Lightning or USB-C port if you want wired. It's not like you are forced in any way to wear Airpods, other Bluetooth or USB-C headphones work fine. [...] Removing the port allows for a bit more battery (yeah, I know they didn't use the space on the iPhone 7) and simplifies the design a bit (no DA converter needed, one less port that can break, no support calls from people who plug in an old Nokia 3,5mm cable thats wired different). [...] I've used the 2019 MacBook pro that liked to spin up its fans but had no real issues with performance. Keyboard was okay too ;)

I've been using a recently purchased Google USB-C DAC and Apple wired EarPods with a 3.5 mm plug with my Pixel 8 Pro. [...] The Google DAC sounds quite a bit better to me: fuller and more lifelike sound overall, and orchestral instruments whose sonic signatures I'm very familiar with, such as violins and oboes, sound much closer to the real thing. [...]

[...] of the cable EarPods). [...] That's something I regularly use for audiobooks, so I'm tied to the iPod Nano 7g (the 6g would also work, but I prefer the larger display for navigating chapters). [...] I also "modded" one of my iPod Nano 7g by partially milling out the aluminium backplate and soldering in an iPod Mini battery (600mah), so that I got nearly 3 times the battery life of a factory iPod Nano as well as an easy to replace battery without opening the device (which is way to hard). The bigger iPod Mini battery does not fit without a silicone bumper, but since I already used one, it was perfectly fine. Changing the battery still requires soldering, but at least not fiddling with the very fragile display removal procedure. [...] And everything is better with bluetooth... [...]

I don't know if this is a helpful comparison for you, but my FTTH cable is almost identical size and material-wise to Apple EarPods cable. Has been working fine for years now, though obviously I don't move the router that much.

Forgor my headphones and had to but apple earpods via Uber at work. [...]

Yeah, I started experimenting with plugging some old Apple earpods into my controller to experience the 3D audio (mostly in horror games) and I've used it often in DS2 cos it's used greatly here. The sound when connecting a location to the network happening all around you is too good not to have

Stepped on my headphones and broke them. Luckily I still use cheapass wired apple earpods with a 3.5mm plug, so it was like, $20 to replace them. [...]

Apple EarPods acquired 😎 idk why i like the wired earbuds look lmao (I’ll still prob use AirPods with my phone, this is more for laptop).

My ancient Apple EarPods that I use with my laptop bit the dust and I went to Best Buy Express to get new headphones. [...]

I lost my earbuds that I usually use now I have to use the shitty Apple EarPods :(

i made and downloaded a few playlists and albums on spotify! then i use apple earpods as my headphones! to be clear: it’s not something i do often, but i’m always stoked when i remember to give it a go.

This is the reason why i bought Anker and not the Apple EarPods 😂 When i know I do not lose them I can change.

[...] After I lost my gen 1 AirPods a couple years ago, I paid $20 for a pair of Apple's corded EarPods and used them until they failed (1) a few months ago. They had a good mic + music controls, sounded fine, and didn't need a dongle. [...]

I still use my earpods. Great for zoom or phone calls. [...]

[...] Modern phones might have wireless charging - so charging while listening is possible even with a dongle. [...] There are (overear) Bluetooth headphones that support charging while listening The headphone jack is a “just works” kind of technology: there’s nothing complicated about it, and its not encumbered by patents, so anybody can make compatible equipment. Oh boy did Apple have success using a proprietary chip for their volume control in EarPods[1] and preventing others except 1more from supporting it. [...] I even submitted a PR[2] to audiobookshelf to support Apple like headset controls, but it has not been merged yet. I still use an iPod Nano 7g to listen to audio books until today :-) 1: 2:

[...] When Macbooks were at their worst, the waste-of-money i9 aluminum pancake ovens, most Apple users probably were not considering alternative manufacturers. [...] Same as the first-generation Airpods that were measurably worse than the 7x cheaper Earpods. [...] butterfly keyboard, inadequate thermal solutions) and their customers will still buy their products. [...]

I bought an Apple Watch to make me run a faster parkrun, it tells me I am too slow though my Apple EarPods

EarPods/AirPods designs assume that you have certain genetic feature on ears called antitragus that hugs the stem with two opposing wings. [...]