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Apple Hardware Technology

AirPods Pro Teardown Confirms That They're Just As Disposable As Ever (theverge.com) 120

iFixit's teardown of Apple's latest AirPods reveals just how difficult it will be to fix them if they break. "The organization awarded the noise-canceling buds a big fat zero repairability score, noting that their 'non-modular, glued-together design and lack of replacement parts makes repair both impractical and uneconomical,'" reports The Verge. "That's the same score as both versions of the original AirPods." From the report: The teardown does reveal a couple of interesting details about the design of the earbuds. First is the fact that they're a whole third heavier than the original AirPods, thanks to new features like active noise-cancellation, and an inward-facing microphone. The teardown also notes that the one user-replaceable part of the earbuds, the silicone ear-tip, uses a custom design that makes them incompatible with third-party models. That said, the popularity of the AirPods all but guarantees other companies will be making third-party tips soon. Most intriguing is the discovery of a watch-style battery inside each earbud. iFixit notes that it's a similar battery to what it found in Samsung's Galaxy Buds which could be replaced. However, the same is not true of the AirPods Pro, whose battery is tethered by a soldered cable. TL;DR: If your $249 AirPods Pro die you'll have to send them back to Apple for recycling, or take part in Apple's "battery service" program at a cost of $49-per-earbud out of warranty.
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AirPods Pro Teardown Confirms That They're Just As Disposable As Ever

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  • And Apple is still just as <fill in the things that Apple is here, please be gentle>

    • by courteaudotbiz ( 1191083 ) on Friday November 01, 2019 @07:00AM (#59369268) Homepage

      And Apple is still just as

      Usual

      My last iShit was an iPhone 4s. The last one that had the 30pin connector. I had bought plenty of docking stations and accessories for this plug, and then BAM. Throw it all to the landfill and buy new stuff if you want to continue using your iStuff.

      Repeat after me: Apple makes money from planned obsolescence.

      • Repeat after me: Apple makes money from planned obsolescence.

        Yes it does, but that has nothing to do with your example or complaint. At some point progress means letting go of old standards. It's not planned obsolescence to release something new, especially when that planned obsolescence for the most part had nothing at all to do with Apple's sales or Apple's accessories.

        • by Tom ( 5839674 )

          Sure. Changing a connector had nothing to do with sales.

          They did it to cut costs and to reap the rewards of re-selling you everything, especially with all those licensing fees.

          Apple does nothing unless it increases the bottom line.

          AirPods are disposable, which is sad. The obsolesces part is the hard to replace battery. 1 to maybe 2 years is all you get with AirPods. So i guess you will buy new ones, at whatever price Apple sets.

          -T-

          • "Sure. Changing a connector had nothing to do with sales."

              I think the big wide connector was a good warning sign that all of those docking stations would not be usable for very long. Your average consumer want nice, thin, non bulky/clunky stuff. USB was out for many years before Apple introduced it's wide iPod connector.

              Every time I go to the thrift store, I find a mountain of these once wildly popular docking stations nobody wants anymore.

  • by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 31, 2019 @09:19PM (#59368580)

    You claim to be a green company on the energy side, but on the hardware side you make everything in your power so that your products are nearly impossible to repair, thus creating more dangerous electronic trash.

    Then we have Tim Cook who claims to be for human rights, but bows to the Chinese dictatorship.

    Apple sucks, Microsoft sucks, Linux sucks. What other choices are left?

  • Hello sucker (Score:1, Flamebait)

    by AndyKron ( 937105 )
    Seeing someone wearing those would just scream "sucker" to me.
  • As compared to (Score:5, Insightful)

    by presearch ( 214913 ) on Thursday October 31, 2019 @09:24PM (#59368590)

    all those other easily repaired Bluetooth earbuds?

    • Re: (Score:1, Flamebait)

      by rtb61 ( 674572 )

      That's it son, take pride in being ripped off, show that pride, pay double price, $500 a pair, show that victim of marketing pride. Heaven forbid anyone should try to save you money or is it Apple profits you are worrying about and you get yours free.

      • Re:As compared to (Score:4, Insightful)

        by 605dave ( 722736 ) on Thursday October 31, 2019 @09:47PM (#59368622) Homepage

        You didn't address his point. What small electronics are not disposable these days? I am not saying that is a good thing, but this is picking on Apple when every tech company is guilty. Besides, how exactly could you design these things to not be disposable? Is the issue the non-removable battery?

        • Re: As compared to (Score:4, Insightful)

          by registrations_suck ( 1075251 ) on Thursday October 31, 2019 @10:02PM (#59368636)

          Seems like they could design the. To simply screw apart along the stem somewhere, and provide access to a drop-out battery.

          That said, I do not fault Apple. Do not like the product? Do not buy the product. What is the problem?

          • Re: As compared to (Score:4, Insightful)

            by b0s0z0ku ( 752509 ) on Thursday October 31, 2019 @10:04PM (#59368642)
            The problem is that the average consumer is a fucking idiot who'll eat this shit up; andc ultimately, the toxic e-waste will affect all of us.
            • You are welcome to start an ewaste company to deal with this supposed problem.

              • Re: As compared to (Score:3, Insightful)

                by MrNaz ( 730548 )

                Gawd I loathe these fatass consumers from America who are content to sit in their little bubbles consuming resources from they don't know where, sending trash to they don't know where, thinking that nothing they have depends on resources from elsewhere, and nothing they do affects places elsewhere.

                They're like fat, dumb, spoiled rotten kids.

                • Yeah, you go! Hold the rulers blameless while you shit on the little people! Speak truth to the powerless!
                • Re: As compared to (Score:4, Insightful)

                  by 605dave ( 722736 ) on Friday November 01, 2019 @05:51AM (#59369164) Homepage

                  Yes, Americans have a monopoly on mindless consumerism. Nowhere else do you see people be wasteful and not care about the implications of their actions.

                • by Anonymous Coward
                  Yeah, I'm sure you're a lot better. Stop being a sanctimonious piece of shit. It's not helping anything.
                • Gawd I loathe these fatass consumers from America who are content to sit in their little bubbles consuming resources from they don't know where, sending trash to they don't know where, thinking that nothing they have depends on resources from elsewhere, and nothing they do affects places elsewhere.

                  Why only the ones from America? That fairly well describes broad swaths of the world.

                • One thing is for sure. You sure know how to make unwarranted assumptions.

              • by MrL0G1C ( 867445 )

                "You are welcome to start an ewaste company to deal with this supposed problem."
                Are you going for most stupid reply? Explain how this magical e-waste company is going to make money. Fool.

                And why 'supposed' problem, are you trying to suggest e-waste isn't a problem?

                • by guruevi ( 827432 )

                  And that's exactly the problem. There are no economical ways of dealing with these nebulous problems because the problem of recycling a few thousand 100g AirPods is so very small that nobody wants to deal with it.

                  The environment is doing better in the US since The Raegan Era CO2 emissions per have dropped drastically whereas in the EU they flatlined and China and India they massively increased.

                  You need to propose economical solutions. Solar and Wind aren't going to be practical beyond what the market bears

                  • Re: As compared to (Score:4, Insightful)

                    by MrL0G1C ( 867445 ) on Friday November 01, 2019 @07:23AM (#59369300) Journal

                    Both wind and solar can independently power the world, it's not about markets, energy has always been subsidised.

                    Fossil fuels, aren't practical, they'll be gone soon, nuclear is hideously expensive, there's about 40 years worth of cheap uranium if you decide to power the world, cheap being already 2x what renewables cost right now. Renewables are the only long term option.

                  • by MrL0G1C ( 867445 )

                    With regards to CO2 emissions the US, the EU and China all need to curb their outputs.

                    https://www.forbes.com/sites/r... [forbes.com]

                    https://thumbor.forbes.com/thu... [forbes.com]

                    China, Eu and US CO2 output has stopped growing. China went from being 2rd world to developed in a short space of time. The US emits far more per capita. All have the resources to deal with emissions and need to do so far quicker. Germany and Poland are both being pathetic with regards to reducing coal usage. The EU does need to do more to push the move away

                • I did not say it would make money.

                  But it is the problem that people like you seem to think it is, you should be overflowing with donations from wonderful souls who want to rid the world of toxic waste.

              • by MrL0G1C ( 867445 )

                "What is E waste and why is it a problem?
                Environmental effects of e-waste: The toxic materials from electronic devices are released into bodies of water, groundwater, soil and air, affecting both land and sea animals. When you throw out your e-waste they wind up in landfills, causing toxic materials to seep into groundwater."

              • You are welcome to start an ewaste company to deal with this supposed problem.

                AirPods are four grams each. You need an awful lot of AirPods to get any meaningful amount of weight.

              • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

                That's the point, you can't deal with it. They can't be easily disassembled or recycled. You can't replace the battery and get another few years use out of them before they hit landfill.

                I bet even Apple's $100 battery replacement just throws them away and gives you one ones.

                • I bet even Apple's $100 battery replacement just throws them away and gives you one ones.

                  Maybe they've got a way to dissolve the glue. Once you get it open you could cut the strap off the battery and weld the new battery's strap to the old one.

                  • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

                    Maybe, but would it be cheaper than just supplying a new pair? They can't cost much to make per unit.

                    • Something in these is expensive, or the knockoff noise canceling headphones would be as good as the good ones - they’re not. Maybe it’s just amortizing the R&D for good software, in which case your approach is right (the physical bits are cheap), but that’s not a given.
            • We're not exactly going to drown in discarded Apple AirPods. The average consumer is going to dispose of several orders of magnitude more waste in plastic bottles, containers, and other miscellaneous crap in the lifespan of ONE pair of these very tiny devices.

              Personally, I think it's a ridiculous ripoff, but I don't think playing the environmental card here makes much sense. I mean, it's not like you can't replace the battery. You just have to fork over $50 to Apple for the service.

              • We're not exactly going to drown in discarded Apple AirPods. The average consumer is going to dispose of several orders of magnitude more waste in plastic bottles, containers, and other miscellaneous crap in the lifespan of ONE pair of these very tiny devices.

                AirPods weigh four grams. I bought a salad, and it came in a plastic pot that weight 50 grams. One healthy salad = 12.5 AirPods.

            • by 605dave ( 722736 )

              I take it you don't buy or use any non-recyclable electronics, since people who do are idiots.

            • On the boat to Isla Bastimentos I watched this old guy change his hearing aid batteries... and drop the old ones straight into the ocean. It took all my power not to chuck his sorry fucking ass in after them. As much as he deserved it, I had no desire to interface with the authorities.

              As a species, we deserve to be wiped off the globe, like the infection we are.

            • "The problem is that the average consumer is a fucking idiot who'll eat this shit up; andc ultimately, the toxic e-waste will affect all of us."

                And other companies will play 'follow the leader' and do the same thing; "Hey Apple is doing great business rooking it's users with the Air Pods, we can do it too!"

        • Re:As compared to (Score:5, Insightful)

          by burtosis ( 1124179 ) on Thursday October 31, 2019 @10:05PM (#59368644)
          Perhaps it's the glue instead of using a fastner and seal. Disposable makes more sense (at least financially) for a $20 set of wireless earbuds, but for $250 with higher quality components (according to Apple) this is less about providing value to the customer and more about keeping third party repairs from cutting into apples bottom line. The non-replaceable battery is kind of a kick in the pants as it's going to go bad within 3 years.
          • by Retired ICS ( 6159680 ) on Thursday October 31, 2019 @10:29PM (#59368682)

            They are $20 earbuds. The "Apple" name costs an extra $50/letter.

            • Doing a quick calculation, it means they give you the earbuds for free as a bonus for buying their brand name. Sounds like a deal!

          • by geek ( 5680 )

            as it's going to go bad within 3 years.

            Citation please. I haven't had a battery go bad for some time now. I still have a MacBook air from 2012 that has the original battery in it. Get probably 3-4 hours on a charge still.

          • Don't you get upgraded ears every three years? Shouldn't you get upgraded earbuds at the same time? Don't tell me you're still using the same ears technology from when you were born!
        • Re:As compared to (Score:5, Informative)

          by b0s0z0ku ( 752509 ) on Thursday October 31, 2019 @10:06PM (#59368646)

          Galaxy Buds basically have a replaceable battery, unlike AirPods. They're clipped together, not glued, and the battery is a coin cell.

          https://www.ifixit.com/News/ga... [ifixit.com]

        • by sjames ( 1099 )

          TFA pointed out Samsung Galaxy Buds [ifixit.com] as an example of wireless earbuds that are at least somewhat repairable.

          Replaceable battery is the big issue. That is by far the most likely part to fail. In fact, it will inevitably become useless in 2-3 years.

        • The LG HBS series headphones are quite repairable.

        • You didn't address his point. What small electronics are not disposable these days?

          I pay $4.99 for earbuds at Walmart that are better than the $250 Apple earbuds, because the $4.99 Walmart earbuds don't give me bad headaches caused by the deafening noise generated by noise-canceling technology.

          I expect the $4.99 earbuds to die at some point (they generally last a few years before dying), at which point I dispose of them. I would expect $250 earbuds to last much longer, and to be repairable. Apple is absolutely the sleazy one hear for making such an expensive product non-repairable.

          On th

        • What small electronics are not disposable these days?

          Their competitor's? I mean the Galaxy buds are easy to disassemble, replace the battery and click back together looking like they'd never been opened.

          Every tech company may be guilty of having some of their products disposable, but most tech companies actually do produce small electronics which aren't disposable.

    • by denzacar ( 181829 ) on Thursday October 31, 2019 @10:11PM (#59368656) Journal

      Samsung Galaxy Buds, mentioned in the summary, got a 6 out of 10. [ifixit.com]

      So yeah... compared to other easily repaired Bluetooth earbuds AirPooeds are an expensive toy for AirHeads and iDiots.
      Pro.

      • Samsung Galaxy Buds, mentioned in the summary, got a 6 out of 10. [ifixit.com]

        So, here’s an idea, maybe we need a mandatory “Product Facts” box on the packaging, listing these sorts of things (repairability score, tech specs, etc.)?

        I recently returned a JBL Bluetooth speaker because the damn thing was mono. I assumed the “3 drivers” spec meant left, right, and woofer. Nowhere on the box did it indicate that the multiple drivers inside the unit all output the same L/R mixed signal. It would’ve saved me the hassle of buying and returning if there

    • all those other easily repaired Bluetooth earbuds?

      As compared to all those easily repaired headphones? Anyone here who has actually repaired headphones? With mine, the padding around the ears must be considered a consumable, and you can buy it cheaply and replace it yourself, but none of the bits that are inside an AirPod would be repaired by anyone on a pair of headphones.

      Apple replaces the batteries, and if you have AppleCare, they are replaced for free. So that's one case where AppleCare would be highly recommended.

    • Good point. All wireless earbuds are ripoffs; AirPods are just the worst example.

    • all those other easily repaired Bluetooth earbuds?

      Yes. You may have missed the fact that most others are in fact easily repaired. E.g. the Galaxy Buds (direct competitor) has a standard click together case openable with a Philips screwdriver or a pry tool, has the battery in an accessible position which doesn't require you to get through any glue, and clicks together in a way that looks like it was never touched.

      Quite the opposite from Apple's earbuds, several of their competitors often score between a 5 and 8 for repairability, not a 0.

  • Nobody is going to sell replacement parts for earbuds, and nobody would expect them to.
    • Re: Ridiculous (Score:3, Insightful)

      by MrNaz ( 730548 )

      Except the other essentially identical product, mentioned in the bloody summary, that is repairable, and has a replaceable battery.

      Nobody. Except anyone who reads the summary.

      So yea, nobody.

  • Apple is already facing a problem that people don't want to dump their $1000 iPhones every 2 years, and those pesky iPhone repair shops just make it worse by prolonging the life of the devices while depriving Apple of sales of new devices. So, since they don't have Steve Jobs to help guide them to a new innovative products which people want so bad they are willing to replace perfectly functioning devices, they focus their energy on ecosystem lock-in and planned end-of-life unrepairable devices - they need r

    • Apple is already facing a problem that people don't want to dump their $1000 iPhones every 2 years, and those pesky iPhone repair shops just make it worse by prolonging the life of the devices while depriving Apple of sales of new devices.

      That's nonsense. If you buy an iPhone 11 on contract, you'll get a three year contract. You are supposed to use it for three years. And people are only willing to pay the high price because after three years they can either be sold on eBay for good money, or make a nice present for someone who has less money.

      • No duh, but what you describe is what causes Apple to lose revenue and therefore they are investing their energy in preventing any way they can, whether by crypto-interlinking parts so you can't just swap in a replacement touch controller for example, or by gluing and melting everything together so you destroy the product trying to swap out parts, lobbying hard against any right to repair laws, or even by suing small businesses for fixing people's iPhones. For the earpods they charge $49 to swap out a $1 ba

      • Apple is already facing a problem that people don't want to dump their $1000 iPhones every 2 years, and those pesky iPhone repair shops just make it worse by prolonging the life of the devices while depriving Apple of sales of new devices.

        That's nonsense. If you buy an iPhone 11 on contract, you'll get a three year contract. You are supposed to use it for three years. And people are only willing to pay the high price because after three years they can either be sold on eBay for good money, or make a nice present for someone who has less money.

        Contracts (if they're even locked into one) tend to last two years, not three. And to be clear on how long the manufacturer intends hardware to last, the standard warranty is one year.

        Perhaps learn a thing or two about America next time.

        • Contracts (if they're even locked into one) tend to last two years, not three. And to be clear on how long the manufacturer intends hardware to last, the standard warranty is one year.

          Contracts for the more expensive phones are typically for three years.

          And if hardware was intended to last for one year, you would have lots of failures around the one year mark - and Apple would have to fix half of them for free. (In Europe, they would have to fix _all_ the failures around the one year mark for free). And what you say doesn't match reality. iPhones have no problem lasting for six years, except that you might need a battery replacement - which any Apple Store will do for you.

    • Apple is already facing a problem...

      "Apple reports record Q4 2019 revenue of $64 billion..."

      [The rest of the Capitalist Universe] (cough) "Bullshit!" (cough)

    • Oh no! He eats folks?

      Cannibalism at Apple and people still buy their products... what a time to be alive.

  • by pestilence669 ( 823950 ) on Thursday October 31, 2019 @11:52PM (#59368794)
    Worth it. Iâ(TM)m sad about the world and all, but sustainability comes after innovation. These are the best things Iâ(TM)ve ever owned. Itâ(TM)s okay that theyâ(TM)ll die. Just like I will.
  • by DrXym ( 126579 ) on Friday November 01, 2019 @02:40AM (#59368954)
    Anyone dumb enough to buy them once is dumb enough to buy them again. Apple (and other manufacturers) are only going to stop doing this if legislation forces them to.
  • These limited use plastic devices will be filling up landfills and the bellies of turtles for years to come.
  • They don't stay inside the ears, they are expensive and not that good.

    I use 19.95€ ones that I like, one for every machine I own so that it always connects automatically to the machine I want of all those in the vicinity.

  • 250 bucks? (Score:4, Informative)

    by Opportunist ( 166417 ) on Friday November 01, 2019 @07:17AM (#59369288)

    Are you high? For that price I get high quality noise canceling headphones where I can very easily replace batteries.

    Anyone buying this is a moron.

    • Re: (Score:1, Flamebait)

      by Kurrelgyre ( 548338 )

      Whatever makes you feel better. You can dislike a product without shitting on the people who buy it.

    • Agreed. unless I am getting studio-grade headphones I will never spend that kind of money.
    • noise canceling headphones

      Why stop there? For $250 I could get a new car radio. I mean you threw the requirements for in ear buds out the window so I assume you'd be happy to have anything with sound. For $250 you could get a Bluetooth speaker. For $250 you could a blowjob every day for a week in Amsterdam.

      What other things do you want to spend $250 on that aren't *EARPHONES*.

  • by couchslug ( 175151 ) on Friday November 01, 2019 @07:33AM (#59369314)

    If you have that kind of money for toys you're rich enough not to care and deserve to be ripped off.

    • I can assure you, nobody in the market for ANC headphones gives a rats ass what anyone on here thinks. I'm not sure what the umpteen people claiming they're being ripped off by Apple or even if money is nothing, they are suckers, lol, bunch of salty Apple haters with no money. There's no reason to bitch about other people's money unless you don't have it. We know you aren't in the market for Bose or Sony either.

      It's like you are trying to get under the skin of people with enough money to not care about m

      • We know you aren't in the market for Bose or Sony either.

        Bose is okay, their stuff may not reproduce sound faithfully but it sounds great. But Sony? It doesn't sound that great, it doesn't work that well, and fuck them anyway. Putting those two in the same breath proves you are insensible.

    • If you have that kind of money for toys you're rich enough not to care and deserve to be ripped off.

      Are you defining toy as a decent set of headphones or Apple garage specifically? I mean I spent $300 on earphones while I was in highschool and very much not rich. I still have and use those earphones now 15 years later. Just curious what specifically you define as toy.

      $250 is not a lot of money for things that make sound.

  • Disposable to me means it is so cheap it is not worth hanging onto.

    If airpods never break and you pay a fortune for them ... would you just dispose them when you're done listening to something?
  • ...they're giving the consumer exactly what they want. There's zero reason to purchase disposable wastes like Airpods except laziness and vanity.

    My Etymotic ER-4S in the ear monitors are still rocking like new after about a decade of use. Why? Because I don't have a phobia against wires, they have worked with every device I've ever owned and there are no batteries in them to go bad. And yes, they sound better than any Airpod ever could. I can use them with an external headphone amp if I want. They're not s

  • They haven't had anything really quality or innovative since Steve Jobs passed, imo.
    • They haven't had anything really quality or innovative since Steve Jobs passed, imo.

      Or for quite some time before then, either. The Jobs was focused on his juice cleanse or whatever other bullshit he was trying to use to treat his cancer. The only innovating they were doing was in excuses like "you're holding it wrong".

      In fact, the last time Apple innovated was with the Newton, which at the time was a big deal. Nobody had previously done a natural handwriting recognition tablet. And Steve's response was to throw one at someone and shout "get these damn scribble pads out of my office".

  • Panasonic, cost me $9.52 from amazon. They sound great, and if they break down the road, so what?

    Apple must think their customers are morons.

    • "Panasonic, cost me $9.52 from amazon. They sound great, and if they break down the road, so what?"

      $20 dollars will buy you a very good sounding pair of wired headphones. Too bad they fall apart/wear out like a $5 pair does.

      I just treat them as a disposable commodity. When the headphones start to wear out in a few months (usually one of the earpieces will stop working because the almost-unsplicable wire fails right at the plug) I just buy another pair.

      I would never buy Airpods which

  • Apple is not the oh so good guy company people make it out to be. It's just like every other company: It's purpose is to make money for itself and it's shareholders. I am glad they support LGBT rights among other things, but don't think for a second they won't do everything they can to maximize profits.

      I am a bit reminded of this line from The Simpsons:

    "Fruitopia- a drink invented by hippies, but distributed by a heartless multinational corporation!"

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