Generally, it’s pretty hard to misplace headphones, on account of the bloody great wire attaching them to your phone and face. It’s even harder to just lose the left or right channel: just follow the cable like a breadcrumb trail and you’re there.
Apple’s new AirPods don’t follow this convention. They don’t attach to each other in any way, and even though they come with a neat little box charger to keep them in (it’s like a cross between a cigarette lighter and a dental floss box), the risk of losing a single bud is clearly higher than for most traditional headphones.
So what happens if you lose one? Will you go single channel only from here on in? Not if you’re prepared to pay Apple, which has just released the service charges it intends to apply for people having trouble with their new accessory.
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So how much does a single AirPod cost? £65. The same price it will charge for a lost AirPod case, which means that if you somehow managed to lose both AirPods and the case, you’re still better off buying a new set, given that the RRP is £159. If the battery is flaky, though, a service is slightly cheaper. “Just” £45 to service the battery in a single AirPod or the charging case.
All of which leaves me thinking that cables aren’t so bad after all. Say what you like about regular wired earphones, but nobody has ever tried to charge me a £65 untangling fee.
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