Introduced in December of 2016, AirPods are Apple’s wireless earphones. By removing the headphone jack, Apple justified selling these earbuds for $159. Apple’s head of marketing, Phil Schiller explained thatAirPods are a “reason to move on: courage.”
The design of the AirPod has been critiqued. The Internet seems to believe that AirPods look like electronic toothbrushes, as shown in the exhibition below:
Despite the various responses, the large demand for AirPods can be seen on the Deerfield campus. Due to our face-to-face interaction policy, a large number of community members are advocating for AirPods to be banned. The argument is that AirPods literally block out conversations, which can be shown through this next piece of contemporary art:
The sentiment expressed by Patchy the Pirate above is the exact reaction that Deerfield members discourage. Teachers and students alike attempt to engage in productive conversation with those who are wearing AirPods, but to no avail. I have fallen victim to this practice on multiple occasions. Occasionally, when I attempt to talk to Vojta Kupka ’20, I am met with a simple “Yeah. Sure,” the in-person equivalent of being left on read on Snapchat. While AirPods do distract conversation, they also have positive uses.
AirPods provide convenience, clout, and comfort (or CCC). They fit in just about all clothing pockets, even the basically non-existent jean pockets in women’s clothing. Furthermore, those who wear AirPods may develop a new sense of “clout” (Urban Dictionary defines this as respect and influence). Please be reminded that if you do decide to buy AirPods for so-called “clout,” you are spending $159 for an easily disposable piece of machinery.
The AirPod debate is never going away: some may criticize them as being distracting and overpriced, while others may advocate for their usefulness. Use your money as you please, but don’t forget that in a matter of months, Apple will most likely release another version of these AirPods. Do you wait for the newest AirPods, buy them now, or not buy them at all?