Free at last
Apple's new AirPods don't just have drawbacks; they also offer new, unfamiliar freedoms.
Because Apple has abolished the headphone socket on the iPhone 7, the customer loses certain freedoms. For example, the freedom to use conventional wired headphones without having to plug in an adapter first. And if they use the adapter, they lose the freedom to charge their iPhone while listening to music. They lose the freedom to choose between wired and wireless without having to compromise. And if Apple then presumably no longer includes the adapter with the iPhone 8, but instead sells it as an expensive iAccessory, music listeners will also lose the freedom to use earphones and headphones that neither cost 180 francs nor need to be charged or are highly susceptible to loss at no extra cost.
Quite apart from the fact that the AirPods also look rather unusual - but you WILL get used to them - they also have clear advantages. Namely real freedom of movement. No annoying cables whose length dictates where the smartphone can be stowed. No untangling of tangled cables. Unrestricted head movements in all directions, without cable-related ear tugging.
The great new freedom of the smartphone generation. The US agency TBWA\Chiat\Day has turned it into an attractive and atmospheric commercial. Dancer Lil' Buck dances through the streets of New York to "Down" by Marian Hill - carefree and without any boundaries. The net thanks him with over four million YouTube clicks in just five days. We'll get used to these things. Have to. (hae)
