Apple were so desperate to deliver a cut through product to stimulate the launch of their new iPhone 7, that they prematurely launched their new Bluetooth AirPods, the only problem was that Apple engineers had still not worked out how to get sound to both buds at once.
Now Apple is paying the price for rushing their latest creation to market.
Competitors such as Jabra have already launched their new Elite Sport Buds and they are getting excellent reviews.
Also proving popular are the Samsung Buds.
The reason that Apple has not been able to launch their AirPods is that Apple engineers are having problems in getting both earphones to play music at the same time.
Apparently the AirPods need to receive a Bluetooth signal simultaneously, something that would help them avoid sudden connection dropouts or out of sync audio.
Apple is also trying to resolve what happens when a user loses one of the earpieces or the battery dies.’
ChannelNews recently tried a pair of these Buds while overseas and the first impression you got was that you felt like a dork with two white blobs hanging out of your ears.
Other users have reported that breathing made commands difficult for Siri to understand especially if being worn when walking quickly or running.
Unlike the Jabra Buds that fit neatly in ones ears the Apple offering are ostentatious and one gets the feeling that they will fall out which is most probably why Apple is trying to design a find me function for the AirPods.
Although users feel it will only be a matter of time before they lose the AirPods, Apple CEO Tim Cook says he ‘never personally had one fall out since using them’ and has used them on treadmills.
During an interview with Good Morning America, earlier this year, Tim Cook said it is the weight of the wires that pull headphones out of people’s ears, and by cutting the wires, the earbuds should now stay in place.
‘We don’t believe in shipping a product before it’s ready, and we need a little more time before AirPods are ready for our customers.’
Patrick Moorhead, principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, told the Wall Street Journal that Apple’s failure to deliver the product after announcing it alongside their new iPhone 7 “was ‘an absolute black eye that they missed the holidays.’
The AirPods delay is believed to be the firm’s first launch postponement since its white iPhone 4 in 2010, when the firm blamed ‘manufacturing challenges’
The wireless ear buds were scheduled to go on sale in late October and cost around $230 in Australia.
Compounding the problem is that with the introduction of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, Apple took the bold decision to remove the 3.5mm headphone jack.
The reason behind the decision, Apple executive Phil Schiller explained was ‘the courage to move on and do something new that betters all of us.’
Owners of an iPhone 7 are now not able to directly connect any headphones with a traditional 3.5mm plug.
If people want to use other wired headphones, they will need to use the Lightning 3.5mm adapter – which is included with the phone.
The phone also comes with new Lightning earbuds, which plug into the charging port.
However, this means that users can no longer listen to music while simultaneously charging their phone, unless they use separate charging dock.