Apple's new AirPods deemed unrepairable by iFixit

29 March 2019
You can't swap out the batteries and the headphones and case are extremely hard to open.

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  • e
  • ermis
  • asF
  • 13 Aug 2020

the coating on the board is flux, it is an anti-sulfurization layer.
they use it on grow lights, computer parts and so on.

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • mx{
    • 04 Apr 2019

    olee13, 31 Mar 2019such junk for consumers / waste for natureOh I see you are a green friendly consumer all of a sudden
    Then you should go apple lol

    Apple scores B (and is the second greenest brand), Huawei is like D. lol
    https://www.zdnet.com/article/greenpeace-apple-is-green-but-theres-a-greener-smartphone-maker/

      • J
      • Jonathan Hawkins
      • kk5
      • 01 Apr 2019

      Anonymous, 31 Mar 2019Your post was going ok till you mentioned selling a hygiene... moreHere is a link to 958 used airpods for sale.
      https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=airpod&_sacat=0&rt=nc&LH_ItemCondition=3000

      Not sure what rock you have been under where no one sells used in ear airpods.

        • ?
        • Anonymous
        • mx{
        • 31 Mar 2019

        Anonymous, 31 Mar 2019Your post was going ok till you mentioned selling a hygiene... moreCheck ebay.

        Alcohol and soft brush. You can even ask apple to clean them for you.
        They clean speaker grilles, microphone and earpieces. They did for me, for free.

        Trust me i've seen a lot of them on sale on gumtree and facebook. Check yourself.

          such junk for consumers / waste for nature

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • 3DR
            • 31 Mar 2019

            Anonymous, 30 Mar 2019Not sure where you base this on. I have an iphone 7 plu... moreYour post was going ok till you mentioned selling a hygiene product like used earphones? I've never seen anyone selling or buying used in ear earphones... Overhead I have seen but not in ear.

              AnonD-843592, 29 Mar 2019That's how Apple became a trillion dollar company - by sell... moreNot only that, these are often harder to repair too. And with that being said, you're either left with the choice of repairing it with a price tag of some ANDROID high-end flagship (from I don't know, 6 to 12 months ago?) or replacing the product as a whole. Well I guess that's Apple for u right there

                • b
                • bonE
                • p8H
                • 31 Mar 2019

                aaaw.. that´s a shame...

                *or is it

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • GT2
                  • 30 Mar 2019

                  Only thing I don't get is,
                  why are there so many people using it?
                  For me, BeatsX is enough
                  even it's a not-so-cheap alternative.

                    Difficult for a user > repair to hard to repair in general > and now disposable.

                    Apple works really hard and put lots of efforts in this section. Ask them to give a toggle option to disable Power Button end calls or other features, nothing.

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • FMY
                      • 30 Mar 2019

                      Anonymous, 30 Mar 2019Not sure where you base this on. I have an iphone 7 plu... more6/10 for the galaxy buds, so you probably can trust someone else :P

                        • N
                        • Note9 User
                        • nGs
                        • 30 Mar 2019

                        Anonymous, 30 Mar 2019Retailers give 2 yearsYes, e.g. John Lewis:
                        2019 Apple AirPods with Wireless Charging Case
                        £199.00
                        2 year guarantee included:
                        https://www.johnlewis.com/2019-apple-airpods-with-wireless-charging-case/p4073229

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • mx{
                          • 30 Mar 2019

                          Luxor, 30 Mar 2019You call it warranty but when you bring it to Apple they ca... moreNot sure where you base this on.

                          I have an iphone 7 plus, a 5S, a huawei p smart and a galaxy j6.
                          (Personal phone, previous phone now in my car for music, actually a gift to my gf, work phone).

                          I took a 23 month old 5S to the Apple store cos when I dropped it had a dead pixel. They gave me a new one on the spot!
                          Ketchup dropped on mt 7 plus earpiece and it made the earpiece quite. They replaced the whole front (screen, earpiece, microphone behind the earpiece and sensors) all under warranty.

                          The p smart's speaker cracks at high volumes, Huaweii said they don't see anything wrong.
                          The galaxy j6 stopped charging after a couple of months and samsung charged me £70 to fix because "the port is not part of warranty".

                          If I liked the airpods (I don't) repairability wouldn't be an issue.
                          Apple charges £90 (45 each) for replacement airpods. Say it would cost 50 pounds to replace the batteries at an independent repair shop. I still wouldn't! Why? Depreciation! They wouldn't worth enough to change the battery. It would make more sense to sell them and buy the newer generation of wireless earbuds (galaxy, apple, beats or whatever)

                          It's not like other wireless earbuds are easily repaired. 3/10 repairability on the galaxy ones means I wouldn't trust anyone other than Samsung to do it. And how much does Samsung charge?

                          Please stop being obsessed with the apple hate. It's so last year.
                          The reviews say that airpods are the best you can get. Some people don't mind paying 10-15% for apple products. There are benefits and pros when it comes to iOS and Apple ecosystem.

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • PGq
                            • 30 Mar 2019

                            Planned Obsolescence by (Cr)Apple as usual. Sums up why wired earphones or headphones are way superior and longer-lasting yet cheaper overall in general than wireless or Bluetooth.

                            (P.S Yes i know about the new Xiaomi ear buds which are very cheap. But that will be for another time.)

                              • L
                              • Luxor
                              • KZK
                              • 30 Mar 2019

                              Anonymous, 29 Mar 2019Who on earth would repair the airbuds??? They come with 2 ... moreYou call it warranty but when you bring it to Apple they called it 'accidental damage'.

                                • D
                                • AnonD-771260
                                • Ixv
                                • 30 Mar 2019

                                Anonymous, 30 Mar 2019Retailers give 2 yearsNot everywhere. In Canada retailers are giving 2 years if you pay for extra warranty.

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • mx{
                                  • 30 Mar 2019

                                  Note9 User, 30 Mar 2019No, it's only iWatches that are covered by an Apple Two (2)... moreRetailers give 2 years

                                    Apple makes overpriced trash for you to trash. The only Apple products I like are their older MacBook Pros and Airs.

                                    My iPhone SE has become practically unusable. It runs like molasses browsing through mobile Twitter. I'm about ready to sell it and get the og Pixel. I never want another Apple device again. We don't want to keep making Tim Crook rich.

                                      • N
                                      • Note9 User
                                      • nGs
                                      • 30 Mar 2019

                                      *Only Apple Watch Edition is covered by an Apple Two (2) Years Limited Warranty.

                                      All other Apple/ Beats product incl. Apple Watch & Apple Watch Sport is covered by an Apple One (1) Year Limited Warranty.

                                        • N
                                        • Note9 User
                                        • nGs
                                        • 30 Mar 2019

                                        Anonymous, 29 Mar 2019Who on earth would repair the airbuds??? They come with 2 ... moreNo, it's only iWatches that are covered by an Apple Two (2) Years Limited Warranty.

                                        Every other Apple/ Beats product is covered by an Apple One (1) Year Limited Warranty.

                                        AirPods Service and Repair
                                        Learn more about AirPods service options, warranty, and pricing in the United Kingdom:
                                        https://support.apple.com/en-gb/airpods/repair/service