These Apple AirPods Seem… Impossible?

Thoughts on AirPods with a screen

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[vincentrecto]

There is NO way that Apple would only upcharge the AirPods with the screen by only 30 dollars, that is an 80$ increase at the very least

[EVILJAMARR]

When he said, "they can sell one with a notch in the screen" I lost it

[Jacked]

Your april fools joke is a bit late David

[jomama]

6:40
Tim: "write that down, write that down"

[mop]

Making them all black with the screen completely invisible when off would look so much better

[aviruprakshit]

Companies could use e-ink display here(instead of an led or lcd ones). It would be a good utilization of the tech.

[xJustJoeyx]

If it had storage and could basically be an Ipod, but with built in earbuds, that would be pretty interesting. Battery life on something that small would be tough though. Needing your phone to use this makes it a null product..

[KarimTemple]

The killer app for an earbuds case with a screen is connection control -- selecting which device you want to hear. A screen on the case could make it trivial. The Bluetooth user experience has always been rocky and that especially goes for using the same headphones on multiple devices. There's also using separate devices on the same speakers simultaneously (e.g. choose on screen to hear notifications from a second device) and the idea of selecting/forcing (or disabling!) a specific Bluetooth audio codec.

[swg_fpv]

If they made an iPod successor in the form of an airpods case, and gave this internal memory and allowed it to work standalone from an iPhone, this could be a really interesting product.

[KleinOfficial]

Having a screen on the new airpods also makes it obvious which airpods are new and which ones aren't and a lot of Apple consumers would want to be seen with the newest version for the status symbol of it, not necessarily for the functionality.

[harveysmith]

to me, if they put in Storage of 64-128gb that you download (music, podcasts, audiobooks, etc) to it beforehand. this could be the next iteration of iPods. They have so much possibility to play around its crazy.

[MerlinDerMagier]

Would be cool if it was like a modernized iPod Classic with built in AirPods. For like digital detox and uninterrupted music.

[InterpolatedGaming]

Ok so I can def see a use for the screen in multiple ways but the second last feature I'll mention would be my main selling point.

1. Pause, play, skip music tracks easily without pulling out phone or using gimmicky swipes/taps on the buds themselves

2. Turn on ANC or Transparency using the case without phone or buds touch controls

3. Maybe change audio codecs on the fly? That would be really cool to access different audio codecs at the cost of battery life to the buds to get the best audio possible.

4! No more needing an external app on your phone to update the firmware on the earbuds/case!!! I can't tell you how much it urks me to download a app for earbuds (for me I use the Creative app for my Aurvana Ace 2's). Having a screen on the case, you can use the case, connect it to WiFi and perform updates without a need for a stupid app!! I'd love that!

5. I'd like to change EQ using the case's touch screen as well, I can see myself using that.

Please like my comment if you'd love these features on a case with screen!! Also they gotta make the screen OLED like the iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max with the always on display. OLED is so nice.

[HishamShoblaq]

On a more serious note, it would be useful for non iphone devices, so i can see accurate details for the battery charge on the case and each pod, and things like bluetooth pairing.

[chm]

Soon, you can't be caught dead being the peasant without a screened case.

[Safe]

the moment when you started unravelling the whole plan at 7:00 ish, was hilarious it was like revealing apples matrix of master plans

[eynorey]

I've been using the JBL ones since they came out and at first I thought the screen was unnecessary.
BUT I came around to enjoying it. There are a few scenarios that the screen enables:

1. You only get so many controls on the headphones themselves - ANC/Passthrough mode on the left, media on the right for example.
But what about volume controls, ANC level, voide passthrough level, mic mute, etc.?
I use these for phone and work Teams calls, and when I'm not physically at my phone/pc I can use the screen to mute/unmute myself or control how much I hear my own voice through the headphones based on my surroundings.
Some of that could be solved by offering more configuration options for different scenarios, but then I'd have to remember all that and tap morse code against my head all the time.

2. Seeing how much % battery life is left in each headphone and the case without my phone nearby is super useful.
Also, I use these all day, so they'll eventually run out of battery. If I'm on a call, I just plug one in for a quick charge, and when I see it's at 20% I'll swap, charge the other and I'm good for another few hours.

3. I'm a person who's not on their phone all day. Some days I look at it once a day and it's just _somewhere_ in my apartment. Having quick controls like ANC levels, volume level etc on the case itself is super useful.

4. I almost lost one of the earbuds one winter day on my bike when taking of my beanie, having the case in my pocket to quickly let it "ring" helped me find it in the snow much faster than it'd have taken me to take out my phone, open the app and use that feature there.

5. It's a decent smart watch substitute if you're not on your stupid phone all day: Receive select notifications, set a quick timer, use the "flashlight" feature, ...

[hobbyadhd]

I've had a set of earbuds with a screen for a few months. It works really well for swapping ANC, playlist, and EQ. Battery life is still great.

[srikarrepaka]

"Do these people not have phones". I can't hold my laughter

[DylanPool]

These are for the post-phone era. When they're selling AR glasses that look like regular glasses, your headphones case will be the only screen you need to carry.