> For one, earbuds will cease to perform any social signaling whatsoever. Today, having one’s earbuds in while talking suggests that you are on a phone call, for example. Having them in while silent is a sign of inner focus—a request for privacy. That’s why bothering someone with earbuds in is such a social faux-pas: They act as a do-not-disturb sign for the body. But if AirPods or similar devices become widespread, those cues will vanish.
...what? Nobody's going to walk around with earbuds in if they're not actually using them for anything at the moment. The wireless part doesn't magically make having something stuck in your ears less of an impediment for normal activities.
Agreed, and I also cannot even fathom how the author implies that AirPods are less of a signaling device.
They are white. They stand out at odd angles. They break up the silhouette of the face. I literally notice people on the street wearing them because they look so odd.
I've met people and only noticed on the third glance that they were wearing wired black earphones because they were so well-fitted and the wire snaked directly out of the ear.
I've had some conversations where I just tap to pause and leave them in. You can hear the environment pretty decently with them in, and they don't cause discomfort. If I have anything else to worry about, I can forget to take them out for a bit, in much the same way you can forget you have sunglasses on your head. I would say that they mostly don't cause an impediment for normal activities in a functional sense, but for now, they can in the social aspect. I couldn't ride a rollercoaster or do jumping jacks in them, but I can hear the environment just fine, and they don't fall out easily, even if jogging.
Well it’s possible that AirPods or other earbuds will eventually have capabilities that allow you to hear much better than normally, like a conversation 50 feet away or sounding an alarm when a relatively silent electric car is approaching. In that case there may be a 16/7 use case for them.
If that's the case there will be a disproportionate number of elderly users wearing earbuds constantly as a 'discrete' hearing aid. Considering that the price of an iPhone with AirPods is about the same as what one would pay for an FDA approved hearing aid device, seniors everywhere will adopt them en masse. There's elderly Americans everywhere, so the association between the elderly and the iconic and highly visible AirPods should solidify quickly after the release of iOS 12. This is the logical end or death of the AirPod trend as "something cool", and the birth of the AirPod as "something that old people need to function". Apple's moving into AARP & Jitterbug territory.
Yeah that part is silly. It's not like socially signaling the need for privacy/focus began with the proliferation of earbuds. We have other cues. They'll vanish too. New cues will emerge.