The AirPods is the last launch of Apple, an accessory for our devices that supposes an important progress with respect to conventional headphones wireless by its ease of configuration and connection, its autonomy and its seamless integration with the Apple ecosystem. But the AirPods have also left exposed some of the weaknesses of Apple in different areas: Siri, watchOS, tvOS… It’s shortcomings or bad implementations which so far had not featured much but made the AirPods glisten.
Siri, the eternal apprentice
More than a virtual assistant Siri always seems a little pupil. Yes, has progressed but at too slow pace. Them AirPods almost US demand begin to use the Assistant of Apple, but is that when it do us is has of that there are things that not can get and have that get the iPhone of our pocket. Would like to listen to a podcast on Castro or Overcast? As from the headphones Apple invoking Siri can do otherwise. The volume no coverage to the internet inside a plane? Because you will not get with Siri.
Yes, is true that can use our Apple Watch, who it has, to do all those things without need of remove the iPhone of the bag, but that not is what want. If our AirPods oblige us to use Siri to control everything, Siri to do just that: control everything. The integration with the applications of third came this year with iOS 10, but not is complete, and is a subject pending that Apple should solve. Same as the need to use the internet even for tasks as mundane as the volume of the playback. A query to the precise wikipedia connection, but many other tasks that are performed directly on our device for connection to the internet is completely unnecessary. It is price that Siri can work offline, it was before and is now even more so.
Music in the Apple Watch
Yes, Apple boasts that its Apple Watch can store up to 8GB (slightly less) content and that grace that we can listen to music directly from the watch without having to use the iPhone. With the Apple Watch Series 2 and its GPS until can go us to do sport without the iPhone and not lose any data of our travel, including the path in a map. And it is true, but the way in which it is made is quite improved.
Something that is incomprehensible is that only we can synchronize lists with the Apple Watch, and not lists, but “a single list” of reproduction. Is is of a limitation that nobody ends of understand and that also is seen aggravated with the made of that the synchronization of that list in the clock is slow, extremely slow. If we also add the fact that you are not always staying with the changes that you make to synchronized with the Apple Watch list, certainly the conclusion is that this aspect of watchOS 3 is still very green.
Limitations with microphone
Something that has surprised me negatively is the fact that Apple Watch microphone just be used as hands-free on your iPhone, and not as an input source. If you have placed AirPods and want to record a video, the microphone is switched off and the microphone of the iPhone is used. It same happens when you use other applications to record a podcast. The microphone of the AirPods is not the best of the market, nor much less, but why do I use the EarPods micro and not that of the AirPods? why not let me choose Apple what the audio input that I want to use at every moment?
And Apple TV?
Why has Apple left to Apple TV outside the ecosystem that blends in perfectly with the AirPods? Meets all the characteristics required to be inside, and is certainly a device that would benefit much of what offer the AirPods, but inexplicably, the “magic” of the AirPods fails to Apple TV. Yes, it is compatible, but you need to configure them like any bluetooth headset. A dismissal? Apple continues to your Apple TV as a mere pastime?
The good news: everything is solved
Best of all this is that it is software problem, and therefore with a simple solution, as simple as an update. A release of a product like this that marks the start of a new category for Apple (are the first headphone wireless Apple-branded, out of Beats) may not have been made without a roadmap that mark the necessary improvements, and these failures must be more than detected by its engineers, or at least we hope.
