Comment by prodigycorp
1 day ago
Apple of late is a mystery. Their software and hardware product quality is wildly inconsistent and, yet, with the most simplest of hardware like AirTags and AirPods, they're like magic. iPhones, I could hardly care less about. These new airtags? Insta buy!
I'm not convinced AirPods are that "simple" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB_8dGKh9JI
yes, apple has a LOT of hidden complexity. Another example is their dongles - many of them have significant processing power, like video conversion chips inside the shell.
Apple’s headphones adapter contains very high quality output and driver hardware. Their basic software usability quality problems simply shortchange everyone involved.
The quality would be better if those weren't needed, though.
Or their chargers! https://www.chargerlab.com/apple-18w-usb-c-power-adapter-a16...
Airpods are a great example of good UX making things seem simple. There's a ridiculous amount of engineering that goes into making them work as well as they do.
>Their software and hardware product quality is wildly inconsistent
Their hardware has been exceptional in recent years.
How are Airtags or Airpods simple?
Cramming lots of tech into a small footprint is an extremely complex affair.
Simple user experience.
I've started to dislike the narrative that "Apple never leads the pack, but it waits to release the best product."
But that hasn't been true for a decade. Most improvements have been marginal, and they totally missed the boat on LLMs.
To be fair, I think everyone but Google has been missing the boat on LLMs as platform integrations.
I call out Google as an exception because Gemini when it works correctly from an integration point of view can actually do some cool stuff like predictive suggestions in messaging based on context, though I wish it was all on device stuff, as on a privacy level I don’t trust Google
That said, it’s not like they’re so far and above anyone else they blow the competition out of the water either, they simply managed to make the functionality sometimes useful
LLMs are way outside their lane. With that said they've been focused on the underlying components to enable LLMs since way before ChatGPT was on the scene: Unified Memory, Neural Accelerator, even Spotlight counts (as a data source), etc...
There was no world where they were going to be the breakthrough leader in LLM development. That's a problem they can catch up on when they need to or license the technology.
Why should Apple care about LLMs? They missed the boat on cloud, cryptocurrencies and on search engines. So what? It's not their business - they can just license a good offering and move on to what they do best : Products.
I can see it in AirTags, but, haven't used AirPods myself, what is so "magical" about them?
Also, my understanding is that AirTags are only usable if you have an iPhone, am I wrong?
That just work. I know it sounds simple but if you have been burned by Bluetooth devices before again and again get unburned by AirPods. Also, they stick in my ear even though all other headsets with cable fell out. I don´t know how
Maybe I got lucky, but I never had issues with my Bose, Shokz, or even with my Soundcore headphones and bluetooth. I don't use in ear, so I can not comment on that.
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This is the opposite of my experience. AirPods refusing to connect, randomly disconnecting, pressing "pause" on my phone only to have "play" instead invoke Apple Music on my Mac, and so forth. There are tons of "smart" features built into these that make the experience worse than I've had on normal, bluetooth headphones.
When it works, they at least connect with little friction. That's nice. The real value is in the very good noise-cancellation and battery life.
I've never had any 'not work'. Sorry. My Huawei Freeclip 2 are fantastic and a very different form factor Apple doesn't offer sadly. Great for urban walks and listening to podcasts while still being able to hear your surroundings.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/bensin/2025/12/11/huaweis-freec...
They're just expensive. If you spend the same amount on Sony earbuds or another good brand, they also work fine.
I've used them with my iPad. I don't have a Mac, but I would guess they work with any Find My-capable machine.
AirPods are great! You can use them with an Android, and it will let you know there's AirPods travelling with you every time!
That is correct. With the iPhone at home, you keep getting "Unknown tracker found travelling with you" spam on your Android, and the AirTag rings occasionally.
I would not call that usable.
Apple is a big company. I’d be more surprised if they were completely consistent.