I finally caved. After nearly a year of inwardly mocking anyone and everyone I saw wearing AirPods, I walked into an Apple Store and handed over $172 so I could have my own set.
And, even though I hated myself a little bit for it, I don't regret it one bit.
SEE ALSO:Why you'll be forced to buy a case for your iPhone XFirst off, yes, they still look completely ridiculous. I won't pretend they don't. But I have long hair that almost always covers my ears, so most of the time they are far less visible than any other buds I own.
And, as silly as they look — and as much as it pains me to say it — they do feel pretty great. I have abnormally small ears and EarPods were already about the only earbuds that fit comfortably without falling out constantly. At $159 AirPods cost more than five times as much as basic EarPods so, naturally, they feel that much more comfortable.
I wear earbuds several hours a day most days. So believe me when I say AirPods are more comfortable than any other headphones I've worn. Even my most cushy over-the-ear cans don't feel great after several hours.
Now, just to be perfectly clear: I realize how stupid this may sound to many of my non-AirPod wearing brethren. I get it, I really do.
It took me more than a year to cave and get a pair, even though I spent months listening to friends and colleagues tell me how great they were. I'm still mad that Apple's "courageous" decision to ditch the headphone jack essentially forced my hand. (My blood pressure still spikes when I think about how much time I wasted frantically searching for headphone dongles.)
I get that AirPods, perhaps more than any other product, almost perfectly encapsulate what so many people hate about Apple products: They're significantly overpriced, completely unnecessary, and, yet, so meticulously designed that no wireless headphones will ever work so easily or so consistently with all of your Apple devices.
Not only that, but your experience is noticeably worse if you don'tuse them. Which of course is why so many are still offended by the very idea of AirPods in the first place.
They're the most slavishly Apple fangirl product you can buy. They're hopelessly basic. In the words of MashableTech Editor Pete Pachal: "the pumpkin spice latte of wireless headphones." But, then again, there's a reason why the cloyingly sweet pumpkin spice lattes have taken over the world.
And there's a reason why iPhone owners — this one included — love their AirPods.
So, go ahead and call me basic. I won't be able to hear you with my AirPods in, anyway.
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