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Education United States Apple

AirPods: The New It Item Among the Playground Set (wsj.com) 77

Posted by msmash from the new-trend dept.
Parents cave in to kids' relentless begging for Apple's wireless white earbuds; schools ban the. From a report: AirPods, once just an adult status symbol, are turning up on the playground. Kids' persistent nagging for the tiny wireless earbuds have parents groaning about the cost, the risk of loss or theft and concerns that they scream "privilege." [...] The desire for the high-end tech may well be due to the fact that even very young children see them all over social media, but it also speaks to the rising popularity of "hearables," which my colleagues predicted will be among the life-changing technologies of 2020. By the end of the year, eMarketer predicts, more than one-third of the U.S. population will be using smart ear-worn devices.

Johnny Sanchez's (anecdote in the story) 10-year-old son was begging for AirPods because his three older siblings all have them. Mr. Sanchez, a technology manager at an entertainment company in Los Angeles, finally gave his youngest child his AirPods when he upgraded his own. "We've talked about how it feels cool to have them but you don't rub it in peoples" faces," said Mr. Sanchez. Mr. Sanchez doesn't have to worry about his son showing off to his classmates because he said his elementary school has banned AirPods. Other schools have banned them and regular earbuds too, arguing they cause students to be distracted and can be used to cheat on tests.
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AirPods: The New It Item Among the Playground Set More

AirPods: The New It Item Among the Playground Set

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  • Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Tuesday January 28, 2020 @05:10PM (#59665850)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • Comment removed based on user account deletion

      • As a former punk, I think youre talking more about goths. Those were carbon-copy non-conformists. Punks were just anarchists who basically responded to a click-ish society, who wanted to shun them as not accepted. Dressing in over-the-top appearances was a simple way to scare away the would-be star-bellied sneeches. Sure, in a way, it was a statement against conformity, but only the sort that ostracizes those that they deem unfit. So there was no need for total uniqueness. Nobody cared that ripped levi bec

  • The novelty has worn off, around here I rarely see the telltale white tails any longer. When they first came out, everyone had them. Now they have discovered the charge no longer holds, they don't fit well in many people's ears, and the sound is mediocre at best. Perfect for hand-me-downs where playgound-bound kids will likely lose one of them anyway. Better than ending up unused in a kitchen drawer.

    • The novelty has worn off, around here I rarely see the telltale white tails any longer.

      I see them all the time, but what the "report" misses is something else: there are a bajillion knock-offs and alternatives out there, and the kids tend to call them all AirPods, whether they're Apple products or they sell for $20. I understand the point about AirPods being a bit of a status symbol, but the story around them can be a bit misleading, since a lot of what the "playground set" see as or call AirPods are not something that is out of reach of most families, even when they aren't hand-me-downs.

      Th

      • If it isn't kids with earbuds making poor kids feel poor, it will be kids with Nikes, trendy hats, jackets, or other fad apparel

        School uniforms go some way to alleviate this. I wonder whether they could be brought back (or introduced, I'm not quite sure of their history in the USA). They are mandatory for all levels of education where I live. There was a sense of togetherness and institutional pride, it said each pupil was foremost a part of the school for the school day. Any garment generated difference in status was reserved mostly for school trips, non-uniform days and PE lessons.

    • Being handed down is useful, but as we know, battery life isn't great with AirPods, and sadly Apple hasn't seen fit to make the batteries replaceable in anyway so now we're facing increasing amounts of e-waste.

      Here's a super-great video about it! [youtu.be]
    • I saw somebody walking around with just one in the other day and was very confused. I guess if you're expecting a call maybe?
  • Pretty simple, why is this news? And why are parents caving to their children for this?

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by bjwest ( 14070 )

      ...And why are parents caving to their children for this?

      Because by this time they've given in to their kids so much instead of saying no or disciplining them that it's a lost cause.

    • "Pretty simple, why is this news?"

      Because it's 'stuff that matters', albeit only for toddlers.

      • Re:Just Say No? (Score:5, Funny)

        by Anachronous Coward ( 6177134 ) on Tuesday January 28, 2020 @05:28PM (#59665924)

        Because it's 'stuff that matters', albeit only for toddlers.

        Slashtot?

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by rtb61 ( 674572 )

        Because at /. we don't just hack the hard and the software, we also hack the wetware. Oh my the crap of the insane psychopath marketeers, children always wearing wireless earbuds so they can be fed commercials and be ruthlessly psychological attacked using peer pressure to sell crap product at inflated prices, product those poor victims have been convinved they absolutely need to have and their parents hate them for not giving it to them. This is a story because in the sickest fashion imaginable you have a

  • They’ve been around for several years now, so I’ve had plenty of time to adjust - but I still think they look dorky.

    • White ear snot.

      • It always looks like they are robots and those are their antenna.

        And I'm 90% certain there was a Doctor Who episode about them. More than one, even.

        • And I'm 90% certain there was a Doctor Who episode about them.

          I wondered why they made me uncomfortable!

          I recall in the episode the Doctor and his assistant (Rose?) were in a crowd of earpod-wearers. The assistant was flicking through her phone as the daily updates streamed in. She hovered over 'joke' and the whole crowd laughed. I think they were later used for some sinister mind-control business because everyone was so reliant upon them.

    • They’ve been around for several years now, so I’ve had plenty of time to adjust - but I still think they look dorky.

      Just like their watch.

  • "Apple's wireless white earbuds; schools ban the." (Score:3)

    by Daralantan ( 5305713 ) on Tuesday January 28, 2020 @05:29PM (#59665926)

    I was assuming schools had already banned them. My wife is a middle school teacher and students aren't allowed to have them there.... this doesn't stop her from having to tell kids to take them out and put them away every single day though.

    Also TFS talks about this crazy 10 year old begging for airpods. heck I've seen kids that were 6-7 running around in public wearing them....

    • Comment removed based on user account deletion

      • Schools are weak now. When I went to school and had something I was not allowed, itwas taken away by the teacher.

        I think it may depend on the school and the parents for how far they are willing to go. My wife has taken stuff and given it back at the end of the day / required parents to come get it and that has mostly turned out ok. One time she had to take a girl's phone. Three weeks later the girl dropped the phone (and everyone in the school was talking about it, which is how my wife found out). Next day the girl's mother contacted my wife with "My daughter said you dropped her phone and broke the screen after

  • What says it more clearly? "I'm a wanker!"
    • Whipping it out in public and vigorously stroking it probably says it more clearly.

      • Nope. Actually, it doesn't. :D

        Was at a lake party on a lake where you're not allowed to go, here in Germany. So nobody can call the cops, as he himself would be arrested too.
        And it has lots of little semi-hidden areas.
        Half of us went butt-naked. You could hear people fuck or fap behind every second bush.
        Yet the only one who was called a wanker (welly in German), was the moron who brought his "AirPods" to the beach.

        He also didn't even sit down or take off his white sneakers, because his clothes could get dir

  • Article is garbage, but the writing! Magnifique!

  • It would just be faster (Score:3)

    by Mysticalfruit ( 533341 ) on Tuesday January 28, 2020 @05:40PM (#59665960) Homepage Journal
    To simply go to the school playground and just toss them randomly... that's where they're going to end up anyway.

    Airpods are the worst and people shouldn't buy them.
  • Since why would you have the airpods without an accompanying iPhone to drive them. At 10. Since daddy couldn't say no to the three older ones, he says yes to the 10 year old and decks him out in probably an $800 phone and $200 earbuds.

  • "NO" (Score:5, Interesting)

    by markdavis ( 642305 ) on Tuesday January 28, 2020 @06:11PM (#59666030)

    >"Kids' persistent nagging for the tiny wireless earbuds have parents groaning about the cost, the risk of loss or theft and concerns that they scream "privilege.""

    The answer is simple, "NO."

    And if you really think they won't lose them and somehow deserve "wireless" earphones (which I doubt), these work just fine for $30:

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod... [amazon.com]

    I should know, I have them. And if I had kids, the answer will still probably be "NO", unless they want to somehow *earn* them (and not by just doing stuff they are already supposed to do).

    • Why say no just to say no? If I can afford the thing, and it's not illegal or dangerous, I make them jump some constructive hoops. If they can achieve it, I will buy it.

      • >"Why say no just to say no? If I can afford the thing, and it's not illegal or dangerous, I make them jump some constructive hoops. If they can achieve it, I will buy it"

        That is kinda what I said:

        "unless they want to somehow *earn* them (and not by just doing stuff they are already supposed to do)."

        However:

        1) They don't "need" them
        2) Impressing others it the WORST reason to have them- it sends the wrong message and teaches nothing but badness
        3) Kids are extremely likely to lose or damage them

        So yes, it

    • >"Kids' persistent nagging for the tiny wireless earbuds have parents groaning about the cost, the risk of loss or theft and concerns that they scream "privilege.""

      The answer is simple, "NO."

      And if you really think they won't lose them and somehow deserve "wireless" earphones (which I doubt), these work just fine for $30:

      https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod... [amazon.com]

      I use these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07T... [amazon.com]. $18 and they work great. A little less battery life than the ones you linked, but at half the price, I buy two sets, so one can be in the charging case while the others are in my ears.

      • >"I use these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07T [amazon.com]... [amazon.com]. $18 and they work great. A little less battery life than the ones you linked, but at half the price, I buy two sets, so one can be in the charging case while the others are in my ears."

        It is amazing how many different ones are available on Amazon, and for cheap, and work with ALL phones. And probably most function just as well or better than "Airpods" for a mere fraction of the price, and the bonus of not making you look like a "copy-cat-ima

        • >"I use these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07T [amazon.com]... [amazon.com]. $18 and they work great. A little less battery life than the ones you linked, but at half the price, I buy two sets, so one can be in the charging case while the others are in my ears."

          It is amazing how many different ones are available on Amazon, and for cheap, and work with ALL phones.

          Yeah, I think the cost of Bluetooth 5.0 chipsets is down in the pennies in volume, and tiny Li-Ion batteries and the necessary charging circuitry aren't much more. It's to the point where the cost of these devices is beginning to be limited by packaging, handling, shipping, etc. I wouldn't be surprised over the next few years if prices drop to where they're cheaper than wired earbuds, purely because the cost of raw materials is lower.

          They're currently unavailable on Amazon, but I bought a wireless earbu

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by DRJlaw ( 946416 )

      The answer is simple, "NO."

      And if you really think they won't lose them and somehow deserve "wireless" earphones (which I doubt), these work just fine for $30:

      Came here to hear people tell others how to parent and spend money. Was not disappointed.

  • Youth may be the target market? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Hadlock ( 143607 ) on Tuesday January 28, 2020 @06:13PM (#59666036) Homepage Journal

    Sort of sounds like Rebook Pumps or Nike Air in the late 1980s. Totally useless but is a major status item.
     
    I do not see that many adults over the age of 25 still wearing them so if they're selling like hotcakes it must be to people still in school/college. The fact that adults are not still wearing them indicates that they don't provide a lot of added value long term.
     
    Android users (I think?) can't use them so they will always be a niche item.

    • Yeah, the LG HBS is superior in every respect except total weight and volume. If that's *all* you care about, be my guest.

      I've been using the LG HBS 850 for several years now. 30+ foot range in practice, 12-16 hours of battery when new, comfortable enough to literally wear 24/7, shower, exercising, working, working out, you name it.

      Then some asshat mentioned Etymotic ER4SR's, and I made something of an impulse buy. Holy hell. I haven't used anything else in a month. I'll happily keep paying for replacement

      • I've been using Sony WH-1000XM3 over-ear in the office, zero complaints, zero mic drop out during calls etc. For whatever reason my ears aren't shaped correctly for in ear buds, they want to fall out within 10 minutes even when sitting. My coworkers use Bose but they're constantly dropping audio in calls.

        • Don't have that problem with my Bose QC35-II's. The Sonys seem to edge them out for audio quality in almost all reviews, but not by a large margin, and the Bose ones have one feature the Sony ones do not: they can connect to two Bluetooth sources at once, so you can watch video on a tablet and still get calls on your phone. A niche interest, to be sure, but it was enough to sway me.

  • That is really stupid to give earbuds to kids. It will cause hearing loss. Who cares about the "privilege" aspect. That ship has sailed.

  • Here's an idea (Score:1, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Hey Parents, you have forgotten the most important word in the English dictionary: "No."

    Tell your goddamn kids "no" for a change. If they persist, punishment. Don't bitch about the cost of something nobody is forcing you to buy.

    Stop being so fucking weak.

  • never give a kid wireless ear buds (Score:4, Interesting)

    by OrangeTide ( 124937 ) on Tuesday January 28, 2020 @06:33PM (#59666098) Homepage Journal

    Never ever let a young child use ear buds. Hearing damage is quite real and few ear buds are "kid safe". And it is simply impractical. It is difficult to get a proper fit in a child's ear canal as it can vary quite a bit between kids of the same age. Improper fit results in irritation and discomfort. Children are not physically little adults. Their needs and development are much different than an adult.

    Do some adulting and make informed choices for your children instead of catering to their mercurial whims.

  • Best quality here get a chance win More and more prize Airtel Lottery [airtelprize.in]
  • "But I want it!" Well, millions of consumers take this view, who can blame kids?
  • Wonder how many cases of screwed up hearing, and other related issues in the future?

  • Of course his kids school banned airpods. You're supposed to take that overpriced shit out of your head when you're in school. You're in school to fucking learn, not listen to a podcast or the latest shitty pop music whilst you go about your day.

  • Hold on there boy, these are just somewhat more portable headphones.
    They would be life-changing if they were babelfish but these are just incremental improvements upon regular headphones with regards to portability alone.

  • Quit trying to make it happen, Apple marketing team. It won't.

  • I never understood the desire, honestly. Apple, IMHO, really blew it on the design of these things. Ok, maybe wireless earbuds are hard to do (duh) but to me, whoever wears them just looks like someone with white earwax dripping down out of their ears. Not the signature Apple style I was expecting when they first came out. They look worse than the first bluetooth earpieces people would wear *everywhere*, just to look "techie". Ugh. Kiss me with a semi truck.

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