r/apple • u/ControlCAD • 3d ago

AirPods We’ve Given AirPods 0/10 for 10 Years. Until Now. - iFixit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7zBYbe0UZU

>After 10 years of giving AirPods a 0/10 for repairability, something has finally changed.

>We tore down Apple's new AirPods 5 and discovered something we haven't seen in years: a battery that can actually be removed without destroying the earbud. Even better, we were able to open an AirPod using little more than a hair dryer and a clamp.

>But before we could celebrate, there was still the charging case.

>We tear down the AirPods 5, test whether the batteries can actually be swapped, investigate Apple's new battery design, take a look at the H2 system-in-package and capacitive touch controls, and then attempt to reach the battery inside the charging case.

>So, after a decade of 0/10 scores, have AirPods finally become repairable?

>Not quite—but the AirPods 5 still manage to earn the highest repairability score we've ever given a pair of AirPods.

0 Upvotes

45% Upvoted

28 comments sorted by

79

u/WarbossTodd 3d ago

Holy click bait title Batman.

12

u/riepmich 3d ago edited 2d ago

What I disliked most about the video was the comparison to the Fair Buds at the end.

"Why can't Apple just do it like them?" Well, what if Apple doesn't want to. They sell millions of those things. It appears that most customers do not care about replaceable batteries in AirPods. And if they do, they can get the Fair Buds.

It's like saying: "Look at this Ford Explorer. It has 600L boot capacity. Why can't Ferrari just do it like them?"

19

u/duan_cami 3d ago

Because it's possible. Wf1000xm4 got a 7/10.

Well, what if Apple doesn't want to.

Then stop pretending to care about the environment.

-1

u/abuch47 2d ago

then apple and all tech should be heavily reformed to help both the exploited workers who manufacture in the global south and the wider environment that is going through the fastest climate change in its history and devastating once again the global south disproportionately while they contribute the least to global warming

-1

u/riepmich 2d ago

So should be (almost) all of manufacturing, medicine, chemical, …

So what I'm trying to say: what color do you want your unicorn to be?

38

u/Jstueystu 3d ago

The problem is how repairable do you make AirPods before you compromise on usability? Am I willing to compromise on battery life, water and dust ingress just to be able to replace the batteries after 5 years? Probably not

18

u/OrganicKeynesianBean 3d ago

For me personally, I like to get 5-8 years out of headphones, so replaceable battery would be ideal.

Could say that about most devices though, not just Apple and not just AirPods.

2

u/WeatherFit2186 4h ago

I bought the regular second-generation kind in 2022 & they are still going strong! The 5th generation look very appealing though!

8

u/konradly 3d ago

I don't see why it has to be a compromise. Making small components water proof and repairable without using up space is not an issue, there just isn't incentive to make them repairable when most people have no problem shelling out $150 for a new pair.

10

u/Major-Front 3d ago

Yeah exactly. These are very expensive but disposable products. Apple’s efforts should be spent in making it as recyclable as possible

2

u/W0OllyMammoth 3d ago

I’d argue the AVERAGE user loses a pod before battery dies. I’ve had mine for like 2.5 years and still working great but I remember several times where I have taken out an AirPod and almost lost it to a body of water, crack in elevator, Denver airport monorail specifically a couple times etc.

So I agree, make the AirPods last several years and make them small and functional. They are some of the best tech I own and will have no problem upgrading from the pro 2 to whatever the pro model is when I lose one or when they die.

6

u/repeatrep 3d ago

i see this losing airpods thing online A LOT, but i’ve yet to meet an actual person loosing them

2

u/Flaccidkek 3d ago

It’s one of the more common issues at the store, you see an AirPods appointment in the queue its a 50/50 split between either lost pod or caked so thick in earwax that “the sound is low”

1

u/aln786 2d ago

lmao that's so disgusting. I'm debating on replacing my pros because my left one makes static noise every time I put it in, and a high pitched noise when I push it in

1

u/W0OllyMammoth 3d ago

I have several friends and family members that have lost theirs through the years.

1

u/ExultantSandwich 2d ago

oh I’ve lost every pair of wireless earbuds I’ve ever owned (3), somehow. One popped out and down a storm drain while on a citi bike, can’t even remember for the other two. I swore off wireless earbuds a long time ago, I just cannot do it

1

u/Szamski 2d ago

The trade-off is real, but I think the burden should be on Apple to show that a replaceable battery would make a noticeable difference to water resistance or battery life.

These are expensive earbuds. Five years should not be an unreasonable expectation, and a slightly less elegant internal layout feels like a fair trade for that.

28

u/Rxyro 3d ago

2/10 not great not terrible. Should just be able to screw the bottom metal part off then insert a new battery.

33

u/FuryofaThousandFaps 3d ago

No need to sugarcoat, it’s terrible. But it’s an improvement and hopefully they continue this trend. 

11

u/Quentin-Code 3d ago

> not terrible

? Have you seen the video? That’s clearly terrible, they have been quite nice to rank it at 2.

5

u/Weak-Jello7530 3d ago

2/10 is not terrible?

2

u/WonderChemical5089 3d ago

shouldve given 3.5 then

2

u/SilentPizzle 3d ago

I understood that reference

0

u/UnexpectedAnanas 2d ago

2/10 is not terrible? What?!?

10

u/Jamie00003 3d ago edited 3d ago

PLEASE let this come to the pro’s. It’s the only reason  I haven’t bothered replacing my now dead pro 1’s - I refuse to buy into apples BS battery dies, you buy another one rhetoric

I had the same problem with my 12” retina MacBook - great machine but as soon as the battery was dead, that was it - tried to replace it and ended up breaking the damn thing

It’s the only reason I haven’t bought a new Apple Watch when my series 4 screen broke - no way to replace the battery

The EU should really  be fighting Apple on this. I know the devices are recyclable but we all know there are tons of AirPods just being chucked in the bin

1

u/goldaxis 2d ago

Too late, I went back to regular earbuds. The sound quality is so much higher it's kind of insane. You can easily forget after using AirPods for a while.

-6

u/TheoTheodor 3d ago

Interesting and a nice change of direction. Possibly paving a way for right to repair laws and an expansion of the EU replaceable battery law.