Get an earful of wireless technology

DUBAI: You thought the best thing to come out of last week’s Apple event would be the new iPhone? You’d be wrong. The best new piece of technology from Apple doesn’t even have a screen.

Unless you’ve been on a media blackout, you should know by now that we’re talking about the Apple AirPods.

For those of you who have not been paying attention, the AirPods are Apple’s new wireless (Bluetooth) ear buds. They look just like the old earbuds, minus the wires of course, but unlike those, these have sensors and accelerometers built in. That means they know when you are listening — and not in a creepy way.

The sensors know when they are in someone’s ears and will turn themselves off when you take them out. Take out just one — as many of us do when someone starts talking to us — and the headphones will pause the music. Double tap on the AirPods and you will call up Siri, Apple’s digital assistant. Yes, these are Smart earbuds.

But whether the AirPods are good earphones comes down to a non-tech question: do they sound good? It’s an important question, given that Apple’s previous earbuds have been unimpressive, at best. While basic Apple earbuds are known for average sound quality and low volume issues, the AirPods get high marks on both. They may not be the finest audio experience that money can buy, but the AirPods provide excellent sound quality far better than anything in this size range. And they’re loud — probably loud enough that we’ll soon be seeing the usually cautionary news stories on hearing loss. So in advance, we suggest you learn to use the volume controls. But that said, there are times you may want to drown out your co-workers or, frankly, just rock out to a good song. You can do both with these.

But back to the technology, does it live up to the hype? Yes, the set-up is extremely simple and the AirPods work great, even when the iPhone they’re paired with is two rooms away. However, this technology doesn’t always work perfectly across every app. Games, especially, seemed to have a problem. When playing some games, neither the sound (nor the game) paused when you took just one AirPod out. And while taking both AirPods out always turns off the sound, some games won’t channel the sound back to the iPhone’s new stereo speakers unless you restart the app. Obviously, third-party developers still have to work the new technology into their apps.

There is one other potential issue, one which has even sparked a internet meme. Given the AirPod’s size — and price — just how easy are they to lose?

First, since the AirPods need their case to recharge, I’ve found that putting them away after using them becomes fairly routine. And the case itself is worthy of a few paragraphs: the AirPods must be in the case and the case open for you to pair them with an Apple device. Also, magnets in the case both keep the lid closed and ensure the AirPods don’t fall out even if the lid does open. While we’re talking about it, the case can charge the AirPods for an estimated 20 hours, and the AirPods themselves carry a five-hour charge.

The second reason you’re not likely to lose the AirPods is that they’re fairly light and do a good job of staying in your ears. Over the last few days, I’ve kept them in for hours at a time and even subjected them to a light amount of head banging. They’ve not fallen out once, although they do seem to be easy to knock out, so caution is advised if you’re using them in a gym. The AirPods are also not adjustable so we expect some people will have size issues.

There is also a third reason — the price. These aren’t even close to being the most expensive audio devices on the markets, but I still could forget that $159 price tag. I don’t want to have to replace them. And the good folks at Apple give me strange looks when I asked if you could buy just one.

After all that, there is also one major drawback to the AirPods. While they do reportedly work with non-Apple devices, they become “dumb” without iOS10. The technology behind the AirPods is Apple specific, so Android users may want to think twice before getting a pair.