“Apple has published detailed warranty information for its new AirPods that went on sale this week, including pricing for a replacement if you happen to lose one of the cord-free wireless earbuds,” Jordan Kahn reports for 9to5Mac.
“Apple notes that it will cover issues including defective batteries on both AirPods and the charging case under the One Year Limited Warranty it provides with all hardware,” Kahn reports. “Otherwise, however, it will be charging $49 for battery service on the AirPods and charging case, including if you want to replace the battery after its capacity inevitably decreases over time.”
“Apple is also charging $69 to replace a single AirPod if you happen to lose one, and the same price for a lost charging case, which was a big topic conversation when Apple first unveiled the new cord-free earbuds,” Kahn reports. “The AirPods sell for $159 new and come with the charging case.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Moral of the story: Don’t lose your AirPods or their charging case and, yes, batteries cost money, too.
Eat McDonald’s and sue the company for being obese, loose your Earpods and complain anout Apple, looses your freedom and complain about the eastablishment…
It’s time to take responsibility for being brain dead.
Agreed. People who buy these things get what they deserve.
solution—- Bose.eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
I stand corrected…Airpods sold as lost replacements won’t be a 1-billion dollar revenue sector for Apple. Revised to: 1/2 billion.
No. this is just another example of Apple being for the 1%.
Nobody can argue with Apple’s choice to make and offer for sale what they want to, and to charge what they like for it.
But these are a bad value given the overwhelming likelihood of losing them per the design.
If they were attached to each other, they would be harder to lose and would not have the Bluetooth latency trouble that’s reportedly delaying them.
I don’t know about other people, but if I lost one of my AirPods, I think that I would immediately notice that there was no sound in one of my ears and would then be intelligent enough to try looking around where I was at that moment. If I wasn’t wearing them, I couldn’t imagine putting them anywhere other than in the case so that they benefit from a recharge.
Obviously as this is a Mac forum, there is always scope for idiots to come up with convoluted “What if’s”, but in the real world, I don’t see lost AirPods as being a serious problem.
in the real world, I don’t see lost AirPods as being a serious problem.
I live in the real world. I see a dozen shattered iPhone screens every day.
Despite Apple’s marketing, your eyes can tell you that these screens do break when dropped. The design does nothing to protect it. Apple will tell you you’re a fool for not investing in a case (additional expenditure).
Like this, lost AirPods are going to be a problem, with a “you should buy an accessory” proffered by Apple as a solution to a problem built into their design.
Drop an iPhone and the screen might shatter. Drop an AirPod and it will bounce and you can pick it up again with every confidence that it will continue to work.
People who have tried AirPods are conscious of the speculation about the risk them falling out and they invariably try making all sorts of violent head movements, but most reviewers mention that they stay put.
If you’re the sort of person who spends $159 on stuff and doesn’t bother taking elementary precautions to avoid losing or misplacing them, then you might need to get replacements, but sensible people will have no danger of losing them.
Then people are free to buy ones that are connected, they’re also free to buy headphones that aren’t bluetooth at all.
“But these are a bad value given the overwhelming likelihood of losing them per the design.”
Couldn’t agree more, I mean it was so easy to buy a replacement for the platinum and pearl earring – $400 a pair, my wife lost or the get a matching designer high heeled shoe 👠 -whose cost she hid from me, with a welded heel that broke in a pavement grating. So easy…I just walked down the high street and found what I wanted.
Oh wait….
What was Apple thinking.
… and don’t forget to buy your $19 lanyard too!
Better to get $10 Earhoox
Won’t replace what I will never buy.
Agreed. The present earphones do not stay with any sort of reliability in my ears, especially my left ear. The design on the AirPods looks to be identical with the EarPod shape, and so, yes, chances of one falling out are very high. And they are easily small enough to fall into a storm grate, or an elevator gap, etc….
I will never lose them because I’m not stupid enough to waste my $ on such garbage.
You seem to be equating the fact that you’re cheap with not being stupid. It isn’t working in your case.
Post of the day 👋👋👋
Some people know the price of everything and the value of nothing. Who’s stupid now, twit?
How do you spell Cash Cow? AirPods.
These are a cash cow for sure. I got two and I couldn’t wait to hand over my cash. Should have got two more.
On a more sadder note, I notice that all the Apple stores I went to in the last few days were near empty. About ten people shopping/browsing and about twenty in Apple shirts. At first I thought I was in a MSoft store. Alas, no, I wasn’t. It was quite sickening. This is what five years of Tim and Arendts has done to Steves legacy.
I’m not sure which stores you’re visiting, but I was at the Grand Central Station (NYC), as well as Upper East Side this week. At some point, they had to put a line outside the door, it was that crowded.
Five years of Tim and Ahrendts and you can’t even walk into the store anymore, it’s that crowded!
Anecdotal evidence from one store (any one of them), even within context (over time) is meaningless.
The most embarrasing year for Apple!
Can’t wait for 2017 😉
$49 dollars to replace the battery is LUDICROUS. The battery probably costs a buck a piece. Hopefully they won’t be too difficult for do it yourself people to iFixit.
I suspect that when you buy a replacement battery, what you’ll actually get is a replacement AirPod. I haven’t examined them up close and personal, but the photographs don’t reveal any obvious means for users to easily open them up and swap batteries. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to discover that they are glued together to a large extent.
As long as the replacement Airpod is not a reconditioned one. Don’t like the idea of using then after being in someones else’s ear!
Saying that most of my bluetooth headphones rarely last long. They either break or plain stop working. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Airpods bring in a new era of reliability and longevity for bluetooth headphones.
Judging by Apple’s genius bar history, replacements are always refubs.
I think that hygiene concerns will make it impossible for Apple to re-issue AirPod housings that have been worn by somebody else. However, I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that a replacement might have refurb electronics and a new battery sealed within a brand new housing. However I suspect that the cost of refurbishing AirPods in that way might exceed the original cost of manufacturing brand new ones, so I think that it’s more likely that users will get a brand new unit after all.
Laughable. Pathetic. Entertaining. All of the above.
Burberry prices for Swatch products. Apple continues to lose touch with its customers.