AirPods provide countless materials for joke makers, but you are wrong to think it is a rip-off.

The new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus released at Apple's fall conference this year were disappointing and lacked sincerity, and the removal of the headphone jack was unacceptable to many people. Although Apple's concept of "wireless future" won everyone's applause, the Bluetooth wireless headset AirPods released at the same time was still criticized by netizens.

The high price of 1,288 yuan, the split mode that is easy to lose, and the appearance that is too similar to EarPods have made AirPods widely ridiculed and become the biggest source of material for online jokes. For a time, Apple seemed to have turned a press conference into an online carnival. With the unexpected postponement of AirPods, the popularity of AirPods has gradually decreased and it has escaped the clutches of jokes and started to be treated rationally.

In major Apple-related forums and posts, everyone is discussing the revolutionary design of AirPods and their expectations for the release date. On the evening of the 13th, Apple's official website quietly opened up pre-orders for AirPods, with the earliest delivery date set at December 20, catching up with this year's Christmas, which was within everyone's expectations. But within just a few hours, the huge number of pre-orders has pushed the delivery date of AirPods to two months later.

Today, some people think that AirPods are a mediocre and lazy Bluetooth headset, while others think that AirPods are Apple’s most revolutionary hardware product since the iPhone 4. Why is that?

“It’s a luxury to spend 1288 to cut a line”

Apple's product designs in the past two years have been heavily criticized by the public. From the "back-entry" Apple Pencil, to the "missionary position" Magic Mouse, to the "hunchback" Smart Battery Case, this design-driven company has changed a bit. The "gang members" believe that the death of "Boss Steve Jobs" has led to the change in Apple's design language.

AirPods were also criticized for being too similar to EarPods, and the design department cut corners because of their appearance. The high price of 1,288 yuan was criticized as "wire-cutting money". The similar sound quality of AirPods and EarPods and the huge difference in price were also considered to be a rip-off.

There are also a large number of technical experts who have come forward to prove through disassembly that the removal of the headphone jack in the iPhone 7 is not intended to expand the internal space or enhance the waterproof performance. They point out that this behavior is only to improve the company's profitability by selling accessories such as AirPods.

The AirPods without the wires face an even more serious problem, which is firmness. Without the protection of the wires, the small AirPods worn alone will be difficult to find once they slip out of the ear canal. This has become the most worrying problem of AirPods, especially for people who need to squeeze into the subway. After all, no one wants to waste 1,288 yuan.

You have to work hard enough to look effortless.

However, the seemingly insincere AirPods have won unanimous praise from industry insiders, including for their appearance design.

Although they look very similar to the EarPods released four years ago, AirPods are equipped with Apple's unique W1 chip, optical sensor, motion acceleration sensor, microphone, noise reduction microphone, battery and other components, which undoubtedly requires strong industrial design capabilities. In addition, the back of AirPods is cut back to increase the weight of the front to ensure its firmness in the ear. After actual machine testing, AirPods are very firm when worn in the ear.

Compared with the bulky Bluetooth headsets from other manufacturers, Apple AirPods has a clear advantage in appearance. The price of 1,288 yuan is not expensive at all compared with the dual-channel Bluetooth headsets from brands such as Plantronics, Jabra, and Sony. Moreover, the sound quality and user experience of AirPods, with the support of the W1 chip, can easily "beat" and "kill" the competing products.

Not only that, the noise reduction microphone that Apple added to AirPods is a stroke of genius, which can not only improve the call quality exponentially, but also support active noise reduction during music playback. You know, active noise reduction is also a high-end configuration for professional wired headphones, and it often requires a noise reduction box and an independent power supply.

It can be said that AirPods is the most revolutionary hardware since the iPhone 4, integrating so many functions into such a small body. The best technology is to make you feel that it does not exist. In this way, AirPods, which are mistaken for EarPods, may be the best design.

Of course, if it is just the advanced hardware design, it cannot be called revolutionary. AirPods may have a more important historical mission.

AirPods are definitely more than just a pair of Bluetooth headphones

Apple spent a lot of time introducing AirPods at its fall new product launch conference. Obviously, this is not only because AirPods is the first step in making Apple devices wireless, but AirPods will also play a more important role in Apple's future strategy.

AirPods use dual beamforming microphones and noise reduction microphones, as well as motion acceleration sensors, which enable them to activate Apple's voice assistant Siri after double-clicking, and perfectly command Siri to complete most operations without taking out the phone. This is undoubtedly a pioneering move that will re-activate Siri, which has gradually faded from people's sight.

It can be said that Apple's move is aimed at Amazon's Echo and Google's Home. As a home smart center, Echo and Home can receive voice commands in a wide range and connect smart hardware in the home. Human-computer interaction using the most intuitive voice method has always been regarded as the ultimate human-computer interaction mode. This setting can be seen in almost all science fiction films such as "Star Trek", "Her", "2001: A Space Odyssey", and "Interstellar".

The center of Apple's Homekit is AppleTV, which does not have voice interaction function. Users still have to rely on iPhone for control. But once the iPhone is out, who will use Siri? Apple's previous solution was the "Hey Siri" function that was launched on iPhone 6s, but due to the sound reception, this method cannot guarantee the recognition rate at a long distance like Echo and Home. The low frequency of use of Siri also seriously slowed down Siri's self-learning process.

With AirPods that support universal connection between iCloud, this situation will be improved. A headset that is so small that you can ignore its existence can allow you to intuitively interact with all your smart devices through voice, and even open up the usage scenarios at home and outdoors. At this time, AirPods will no longer be a simple Bluetooth headset, but Apple's second smart wearable device.

What makes Apple most respectable is that it often disregards existing interaction modes and builds its own product designs from scratch. Moreover, as the current leader in the electronics industry, it is easier for Apple to fully penetrate the entire industry with its leading changes, such as Retina and fingerprint recognition.

Of course, whether the voice interaction revolution led by AirPods can be as Apple wishes depends on whether Siri, Homekit and other pig teammates can be effective. This change may not come soon, maybe it will take 5 or 10 years, but you can't deny it. If you still want to laugh at AirPods, you can continue to mock it, just like you laughed at the virtual keyboard ten years ago.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.