Apple’s wireless earbuds, Airpods, seemed to be on almost everyone’s wish lists during the holiday season. During the initial release of Airpods, around the time of the iPhone 7, they were mocked for their weird shape and expected tendency to get lost. Now, teens post about Airpods as a prominent status symbol of this generation.
Townsend Harris students seem to have mixed feelings about wireless headphones. Freshman Zarif Rahman, an Airpod owner, explained that Apple’s wireless earbuds “really take out the hassle of untangling headphones.” Similarly, freshman Audrey Chou, who purchased her own Airpods, said she likes them because “they’re super convenient to wear” and serve for “flexing purposes.”
Junior Jennifer Mendez added that she prefers Airpods over other types of headphones because “they look good with everything.”
Sophomore Valys Maloney, on the other hand, feels that “people just use them to flex on people who decided not to spend $159 on wireless earbuds. Everyone who got them for Christmas thinks [that] they are a superior race.”
Junior Carine Hu expressed a similar concern, stating, “Apple [is] always coming out with stuff that is $100 more expensive than it should be.”
Sophomore Ruqaiya Mithani admires Airpods’ appearance, but she said that “the design is inconvenient and uncomfortable for those who wear scarves.”
Airpod owners see both advantages and disadvantages on their new gadgets. Senior Joseph Zhao said he values his Airpods since “they are very portable and usually more affordable compared to wireless headphones.”
Some students, like junior Osiris Guerrero, appreciate Airpods for their discreteness. She shared that “They’re easy to hide. [She] can walk across the room without leaving the earbuds behind and still listen to music.” She also pointed out that, “If I’m listening to music while doing homework, the wire doesn’t get stuck in the corner of the binder.”
However, senior Anna Gutowska explained that “making phone calls with them is inconvenient; the microphone is not the best quality.”
Many students also emphasized that you need to be much more cautious with Airpods than with wired headphones. “You need to be careful when putting your hands near your head because if you, for example, push your hair behind your ear with too much force, the airpod might fall out,” advised junior Samantha Lee.
She also said that “If you don’t play music, you’ll forget that they’re in your ear after a while.” She explained how she once “ran to school wearing [her] airpods, which weren’t playing music at the time, and only realized… after sitting in class for a while and getting ‘the look’ from [her] teacher.”
Despite admiring the design of Airpods, senior Oluwafisayo Adeoye still prefers wired earbuds. She stated, “When they are plugged in, I know I haven’t lost my phone. [Sometimes,] they keep my phone from falling [and I] can control music playback.”
Samantha added, “ For over $150, you’d expect the quality to be better and the features to work smoothly. I felt bad spending so much on earphones, but I use them everyday now. They’re a lot better than normal headphones in terms of convenience.”
Despite some shortcomings, others such as junior Leah Seo say they are are eagerly “waiting for the second ones to come out.”
