A Closer Look at Apple's New EarPods

[Anthony Bouchard]

Today’s announcement of the iPhone 5 also brought along some new accessories, such as that of the new 'EarPods,' which are the next-generation ear buds for Apple’s iOS device lineup. The new ear buds have a different look to them and are supposedly more pleasant to listen to music with, being both more comfortable and offering better sound quality than the original ear buds that we have had forced down our throats since the dawn of time.

The EarPods are essentially made around the shape of the human ear. Looking at the design, you can tell immediately how it gets seated in the ear and the area where the sound emits from is actually held directly into the ear canal, but without any pressure. This gives these ear buds a kind of hybrid between the in-ear ear buds and old-style ear buds that Apple has sold in the past and should offer more comfort.

Apple touts deeper bass tones, better liquid protection, and even answering and declining calls as highlights of these new EarPods. Apple also points out that they have minimized sound loss and maximized sound output. They also include the inline microphone and remote control unit that lets you control your music and increase or decrease the volume of the device without even touching the device itself, which has been offered with older ear bud units as well.



Perhaps the most interesting part about the new generation EarPods is the new traveling case that Apple provides with them. Anyone who has used Apple’s ear buds in the past knows how tangle-prone the cords to the ear buds are. It makes it a real pain to get them out of your pocket and ready for listening to music. Fortunately, it appears that this traveling case will help resolve this issue by neatly tucking your ear buds away in an organized manner.

The traveling case has two cavities for each of the ear buds, as well as a third cavity for the inline remote controls. You can also see clearly from the image above from Apple's Keynote today (via The Verge) that the cord is neatly wrapped inside without any tangles.

Apple’s new EarPods are for sale on Apple’s Web site right now for $29.99 and they will work with any generation iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Mac, or other device that supports a 3.5-mm headphone accessory. They will be coming for free with every iPhone 5 and iPod touch 5G unit.

Sources: Apple

[VerizonIphone4_help]

who is going to actually take the time to wrap up their headphones? I just wrap mine around the case and call it good and with the thinner iphone it'll work even more nicely. I know why my headphones get tangled and i'm ok with it. Looks like a good design though, only hands on testing will tell though.

[klouud]

I bought some 50/50 skull candy earbuds for the reasons listed. I wanted better sound quality, better comfort, and a carrying case. Check, check, and check. Will the carrying case come with the iPhone 5 or just the buds?

[Anonymous]

I bought some 50/50 skull candy earbuds for the reasons listed. I wanted better sound quality, better comfort, and a carrying case. Check, check, and check. Will the carrying case come with the iPhone 5 or just the buds?

I got those some buds, and I like them. These look pretty cool but I wish they came in black.

[rcm]

so if i ask for the iphone without the earpods, do i get a discount of the 29.99 the cost in retail?

[ciize09]

so if i ask for the iphone without the earpods, do i get a discount of the 29.99 the cost in retail?

of course, tell them no box too you'll get an extra 0.99$ discount!

[Anonymous]

of course, tell them no box too you'll get an extra 0.99$ discount!

And ask them for nothing and it's free! Just pay for shipping and handling.

[GmAz]

OMG...such innovation. A new set of earbuds AND...AND a plastic carrying case. MY GOD...THEY'RE MAGICAL. Is this really all Apple can come up with. A barely bigger screen just like EVERY Android phone and nice earbuds just like the beats audio earbuds from HTC phones. Keep up those new upgrades.

[Colin9001]

Kinda pumped for these actually.
Let's see how good apple did of a job making the quality of the sound.

[Zokunei]

I'm thinking about just getting these and skipping the iPod upgrade, or getting neither.

[Anonymous]

mod edit


You could write a comic with all those bolded, italicized and all-caps words.

[*T*]

mod edit.

[hitman10]

mod edit

[LUFT5_THOR]

I have never used Apple earphones in any of my devices and don't plan on using these.

[Crazyj29]

mod edit
+1,000,000,000 roflmao!!!!!!

[law111]

OMG...such innovation. A new set of earbuds AND...AND a plastic carrying case. MY GOD...THEY'RE MAGICAL. Is this really all Apple can come up with. A barely bigger screen just like EVERY Android phone and nice earbuds just like the beats audio earbuds from HTC phones. Keep up those new upgrades.

I guess some people just don't understand Apple's simple methods which produce great products. Even though the iPhone 5 has "what looks like" very minuscule upgrades, compare the iPhone original to this 6th generation.. If the upgrades aren't to your liking then don't buy it.. but it takes time to advance this technology. Sure other phones have them first, I'll bet they wont work as seamlessly and efficient as Apples. Also, you can't knock the earpods without trying them, go look at a set of Bose speakers, they looks simple and small, but it's what inside that counts. Technically it's not a bigger screen "like EVERY Android phone" it's only taller, which I'm sure people will like much more than a phone the size of a giant brick in their hand.

I will be up 12:01 AM, September 14th on the Apple website to order my iPhone 5 which I'm dying to hold in my hand.

I spend 5-10 min writing a reply to a comment, only to find all but the first are deleted. Thanks ModMyi I'll be sure to take my time to comment on your articles.

[skibxskatic]

i'd probably wrap them. i don't like wires all over my phone so i usually try to wrap them around my hand and tuck them into a chest pocket in my north face backpack (not really sure what north face had in mind when they designed that but i use it to put my nice ol' sparta eraser and headphones into) which isn't always a perfect wrap either. countless times, i've wrapped them up only to have it explode out of my hand in a tangly mess.

[Anonymous]

i'd probably wrap them. i don't like wires all over my phone so i usually try to wrap them around my hand and tuck them into a chest pocket in my north face backpack (not really sure what north face had in mind when they designed that but i use it to put my nice ol' sparta eraser and headphones into) which isn't always a perfect wrap either. countless times, i've wrapped them up only to have it explode out of my hand in a tangly mess.

A chest? Do you have multiple? Lol

[bsltiger]

A chest? Do you have multiple? Lol

a chest pocket. and most likely.

[ashleybrown]

I got those some buds, and I like them. These look pretty cool but I wish they came in black.

Agree I wish there are black versions since the white ones can easily get dirty in a way. But overall I had a good experience with apple's new headphones.