Apple's in-ear headphones finally, really available now
By Laura June 
posted December 2nd 2008 9:49AM
posted December 2nd 2008 9:49AM
Remember those new in-ear headphones we heard about from Mr. Jobs himself back in September? Well, he promised them for October (see the giant slide behind him), and here we are, in December, and they've finally appeared. Each earbud's got its own woofer and tweeter, so be prepared for Master of Puppets to sound better than ever. They've got a built-in remote and mic -- yet curiously aren't compatible with the iPhone -- and they come with three sets of interchangeable silicone tips for small, medium, and large ears. Are you rocked to the very core of your existence yet? Well, the $79 price tag should finish the job.
[Thanks, Adam]
[Thanks, Adam]
Though that may be true, there are several companies (Shure being one of them) that make much much higher quality equipment. I'm not an "audiophile" but I do music production and I have to say that most apple products are very bad at reproducing accurate sound. For being touted as the biggest and best media player, the iPod is one of the worst things to listen to music on no matter what it's plugged into. Because of that I don't trust Apple to be able to produce anything of decent quality. It's just so that you look cool, and in.
This completely lame posting about this _brilliant_ (underscores = sarcasm) Apple product can only be forgiven by the Metallica song reference.
2 earbuds 1 package
Before jumping at the gun, please read this : http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3310 which states that those new earphones are indeed Iphone compatible as far as mike and center button are concerned. The volume control is the only thing which will not work on Iphone. Engadget, please update your post. And may I suggest that people whining about the price wait for the actual reviews as comparable (read dual driver) phones are generally more expensive.
As thin, white and sylish as Mr. Jobs himself.
Calm down people, they will definitely work on the iphone.
The thing I hate about commenters on engadget is they always write the most hated comments towards Apple during the first announcements, ipod nano...macbook air...cinema..macbook, list goes on. A few weeks later, people praise them.
These are dual driver headphones, with the same port layout as the previous set. The mic DEFINITELY works, just the volume controls will come through a software update.
Not iPhone compatible? Kinda stupid decision...
Hopefully they will be come release.
that sounds kinky
Why the outrage? Many other companies make headphones...go buy one of those. Apple does this, Apple does that, they lose customers. Lose enough, and you go do DC on your knees asking the Robbing Hoods to fleece Jon Q. Taxpayer.
I'll never buy an apple product simply because they do not work with Rhapsody; my Samsung P2 and BB Storm both do so, and function admirably.
Apple's 'Vision' is lockdown and proprietary - but guess what? You don't need to que up and buy what they sell, now do you? Grow a set, and if Apple won't provide you with the product you want, then think differently.
lol like anyone intelligent would buy APPLE brand headphones because they are really known for their high quality parts used.... sike...Buy some Shure's if you want in ear. These are complete garbage, anyone who buys these is a brainwashed idiot.
Actually, the only idiots around here are those who have made their judgements without even hearing them yet. That and people who think "sike" is the way to spell the word they want to use.
You have never listened to these, yet you call them junk and say anyone who buys them is an idiot?
I really cannot understand what all the whining about the price.
If you take earphones seriously, then the price is an absolute snip (assuming you believe the hype).
If you think the price is outrageous, just have a look for other similar earphones. I've just paid ~$150ish for Ultimate Ears Super-Fi 5's, which I thought were the cheapest dual-driver earphones. If these sound as good/better, I'll be very pissed off.
Not even as if there's a reason that decent earphones should cost that much. Reason they do is that not enough people care.
If Apple can convince enough people to care, then no reason they can't knock out something as good at a fraction of the price.
People bitch because they are too stupid to look into anything.
"Oh it's Apple and it's more than JVC ear buds I bought at the grocery checkout line, so it must suck and be overpriced! Let me throw in my extensive knowledge of last weeks Simpsons episode and call them Mapple...I'm so clever!"
Too lazy to research dual driver headphones. Too lazy to read that with the exception of the volume, they work fine with the iPhone. Too lazy to even see they are not remotely comparable to the piece of crap default buds Apple gives you with iPod/iPhone.
That's not to say they're great, I'm waiting for a review of them before I make a judgment to buy or not to. I value the way my music sounds, and I'm willing to pay a few bucks for it.
It's a shame when commenters post opinion without taking a look at the facts, but it's worse when a paid blogger post misinformation and opinion without doing any basic research. The facts are that the headphones are compatible with the iPhone with the exception of the volume control and that no one has been able to find a pair of dual driver headphones for less money.
Okay, I resend my previous comment (see Apple fail.)
I'm a little disappointed that Engadget's post would state that the buds are incompatible with the iphone when it's just a volume control issue.
Though I disagree that all comments should be well researched. We read tech blogs so we don't have to research everything ourselves. We have a certain level of expectation that quality sites such as Engadget will do the research for us and report features honestly. The comments section is more of a community social gathering, like water cooler chat - some of it will be intelligent, but most of it is just opinion. And on that note, thanks for being intelligent. :)
wow, I just bought Shure SE210 headphones for 95 dollars; Shure's consumer line of in-ear headphones don't have dual-drivers until you reach the SE410s, which can cost up to 250 dollars.
I'll be damned if these Apple headphones outperform my new Shure's... if they do, a lucky friend of mine will be receiving them while I treat myself to some new headphones by Apple.
yeah...i like my money, so i always stay away from apple.
...And you still can't change volume on your iphone without taking it out of your pocket.
yes you can, its fucking easy. not as easy as it could be but then then neither is sex.
If you really love your music, buy real headphones ! I'm aiming for some Sennheiser IE8. Apple earbuds are just a toy.
OK, may have to invest in a pair of these, despite the volume controls not working on the iPhone.
I mean, how hard is it to reach down and use the volume controls in your pocket?
Also, $79 for a pair of decent in-ear headphones is a bargain, and what makes it more surprising is they're made by Apple themselves, known for their extortionate prices...
Hey just buy set of futuresonics M-5 or m8 2 for $99.00 kicks all ear buds
Cant a software update to iphone 3G just take care of this volume issue?