I'm a huge fan of Apple. I can't count on my hands how many items I've bought an item from them over the past two years. That sounds like a good statistic, however, I'm not sure if it actually is. The reason I've purchased so many items from Apple in the past two years is simple; the Apple headphones for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 are poorly designed. So to answer the question you were going to ask, yes, I've bought countless Apple iPhone headphones recently.
I can't pinpoint the actual design problem of the headphones. I've had a couple pairs just terminate on me. Sometimes one headphone will lose sound and other times both will go kaput on me. I'm not looking for high-quality headphones but I am just asking for some durable headphones that can last me at least a full year. I understand that it is not economically feasible for the company to spend extra money on the headphones because then the price of the product would drive up. Maybe that's why I keep going back to Apple myself. The headphones are cheap enough to last me a couple of months while also getting the job done when I need them. I go to the gym almost everyday so why would I want to spend the extra money on high-quality headphones? At any moment I can drop a weight on them.
It's smart of Apple to maximize their profits this way but I won't let them off the hook that easy. Thank you Apple for designing the iPhone 5 headphones to go inside the ear. This was very helpful for me but what you guys didn't seem to change was the audio quality. When I make the music through my headphones loud, the vocals become fuzzy. Not to mention I get these dirty looks because all of the people around me can hear my music just as clearly, or unclearly in this case, as I can. I too would be upset if my peace/privacy was invaded, however, with these headphones it's tough to hear the music without having the people around you listen in too. Again, I just want to be clear. I'm not totally knocking the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 headphones completely because I keep going back for one reason or another. All I ask is for Apple to step up their game a little bit. I understand people aren't buying the iPhones for the headphones but to me, and I'm sure a lot of other people, it's a very important part of the purchase.
I've had about 30 pairs of headphones in the past two years so I feel you. Apple in particular LOVES to suck everyone dry. Their headphones seem almost intentionally cheap and subpar - they break way too easily, and the audio quality (like you stated) is inconsistent at best. The plastic feels odd as well.
ReplyDeleteA pair of Skullcandy's is much better for about the same price.
Wow thats crazy. I have owned 4 pairs of apple headphones over the course of 3 different phones (not all iPhones) which is around 3 years. And actually the reason I have had 4 was because I lost 3! Maybe I do not use mine as frequently as you do, or use them differently.
ReplyDeleteI still agree with Ryan though. It's okay to bash Apple on making cheap accessories. Thats how they make their money.
Yeah! I have totally gone through this! I destroy some about once a year if I'm lucky enough to get that much time out of them. Even though these headphones aren't great by any means, I still go back because they always fit my ears well. I have bought headphones that won't stay in my ears unless I duct tape them to my head! I will say the iPhone 5 headphones were a step up in comfort that I didn't expect, but you were right they didn't seem to increase the quality of the headphones. Also it's worth noting that replacement headphones from Apple are absurd for the quality of the headphone. All in all though I, like you are not terribly picky and will keep going with these headphones because they work well enough for me.
ReplyDeleteI did actually break a pair of these headphones this week, but that's because my puppy decided they'd make a great a chew toy... so I'm not going to hold Apple responsible. Before this pair I only had a few others, and for the most part we parted ways because I lost them. There was one pair that just stopped working in one ear and that was frustrating.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Ryan. The only reason I'd buy a pair of Skullcandy's would be to distract my dog from my Apple earbuds.
--Alex Morgan
#SkullcandyMasterRace
DeleteThis post makes a great point. I've always been a PC fanboy, and so Apple has never been a brand I pursued, however I've always noticed that the headphones that come with their products look cheap and fragile. I'm an enormous music fan and listen whenever I get the chance - between classes, walking to work, exercising in the gym. Unlike Dylan I do look for quality headphones, because if I'm spending money on them and using them constantly I want them to be good.
ReplyDeleteApple's default headphones may be cheap, but in the end so are most headphones that come with a product for free. My Galaxy S4 came with terrible headphones, and although they got the job done it did not take long for me to buy a pair from a company that solely makes headphones. If you want good design for a product, go with a company that dedicates themselves to that kind of product.